Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Republican junior senator from Alabama, Tommy Tuberville, has been holding up military nominations in a way that endangers the nation.

He has found a way, he thinks, to force Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind a policy that pays military women serving in states that have banned abortion to travel to states where it is legal.

Mr. Tuberville started his campaign in March. It’s time — long past time — to stop. He’s holding up presidential nominations for more than 250 high-ranking officers.

In Mr. Austin’s memo in February announcing the policy, he said having to travel is an “unusual, extraordinary hardship” that will hurt the military’s ability “to recruit, retain and maintain the readiness of a highly qualified force.”

Members of the military serve where the military needs them. Many will find themselves serving in states with restrictive abortion laws. The new policy created travel allowances, consistent with the law and the military’s needs, to help women travel to find medical services unavailable where they’re stationed. That those services are available to other military women in other states creates an inequity that the military should not tolerate, even while it respects the rights of states to make their own policies on abortion.

Mr. Tuberville claims to have a reasonable alternative: He wants Congress to vote on New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen’s bill that would make the new policy part of the law. He will stop blocking nominations if it passes, if the military agrees to drop the policy should the bill fail. That’s no real alternative. The senator knows the Republican-controlled House will almost certainly reject the bill.

Americans will disagree over how big a military they need and what it ought to do, but they understand the nation needs one that works efficiently, including moving people into positions in which they’re most needed. That important function should not be politicized.

The president has authority to move high-ranking officers into their positions. The Senate has the responsibility to make sure the president makes good choices. It should not, however, hold up nominations for political reasons unrelated to the nominees’ fitness. Unfortunately, even one senator has the power to do so.

Mr. Tuberville’s political stunt undermines the nation’s military and therefore its security. It also encourages others to play political games with crucial institutions. Mr. Tuberville would not want Democrats pulling the same stunt to protest a policy he endorses.

On Friday, the president nominated four more officers for promotion — all for major positions — including chief of naval operations. Asked for comment, Mr. Tuberville’s spokesperson said the senator “is going to continue his efforts to get politics out of the military.”

He can best do that by letting the nominations move forward.