WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy on Monday became the third branch of the military to no longer have a Senate-confirmed leader for the first time in history, as a Republican senator continues to block military nominations.

Retiring Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday gave up command on Monday. The Navy, Army and Marine Corps are now all without a confirmed leader.

  • @DevCatOP
    link
    English
    341 year ago

    In one way, this can actually be seen as a good thing for Biden. It is the duty of the Senate to advise and consent. The Senate has effectively abdicated that duty. The job of doing appointments for the military now rests solely in the hands of the executive branch, President Biden.

    • @AbidanYre
      link
      English
      211 year ago

      Obama should have done that with the Supreme Court.

      • Dark Arc
        link
        fedilink
        English
        111 year ago

        There is this legal theory that refusal to take a vote on something you’re constitutional obligated to do is equivalent to accepting by unanimous consent. Obama wouldn’t test it… unfortunately.

    • ME5SENGER_24
      link
      fedilink
      English
      41 year ago

      This should be grounds to dismiss the senate and call new elections

        • ME5SENGER_24
          link
          fedilink
          English
          91 year ago

          I am American. I just think we’ve got a fucked up political system and can learn a lot from around the globe. I also support Ranked-choice voting and doing away with the two party system in favor of multiple parties (since there’s a lot of gray areas and less black or white). Once formed the parties can align forming coalitions to determine leadership of the upper and lower houses. While I’m at it, let’s add term limits and age limits to ALL 3 government branches (that’s right SCOTUS, I’m looking at you)

          Finally, I’d also love to see Question Time added to the US structure.

      • @MindSkipperBro12
        link
        English
        21 year ago

        I sure love it when the President can dissolve legislative branches until he gets the party that he wants.😐

        • Dark Arc
          link
          fedilink
          English
          31 year ago

          You have a point in that, if that worked, a bad president could just throw insane nominations out and when none of them got confirmed go “oh look, guess you don’t like my nominations, this is my power now.”

  • graycube
    link
    fedilink
    311 year ago

    Tuberville does not live in Alabama, doesn’t own property there, nor is he really from there. Hiw he can be their senator boggles the mind.

  • DigitalTraveler42
    link
    English
    241 year ago

    Tuberville and his white supremacist tantrum, what a garbage person.

  • Pagliacci
    link
    fedilink
    201 year ago

    What procedural step is being abused here to allow one Senator to have this much influence? Or is this another case of one Senator being the face while backed by the rest of their party?

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      81 year ago

      The rules to filabuster are sadly very loose. This guy pretty much just has to say he is filabustering. He doesn’t have to stand and talk to block it.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        21 year ago

        Not so much a rule. More like convention. The whole saying “I’m going to filibuster,” and that counts, is new. Also the filibuster is also not really a rule either. It’s the interpretation of the rule that a member of Congress can’t be forced to give up their time on the floor

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    141 year ago

    Are you effing kidding me? He’s blocking it because he doesn’t like the idea of soldiers getting abortions.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        31 year ago

        Even American children, if they’re not the right color or their parents aren’t from the “correct” end of the political spectrum. But so help me, if you so much as think of touching a good old free-range, pasture-fed American fetus, I will fucking end you.

        /s

  • AutoTL;DRB
    link
    fedilink
    English
    121 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    And it is unsafe," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a relinquishment ceremony at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

    Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, who represents Alabama, has blocked hundreds of military nominations from moving forward, saying the Pentagon is improperly using government funding to cover travel costs for abortions for service members and their dependents.

    It’s hindering our ability to retain our very best officers and it’s upending the lives of far too many American military families," Austin added.

    President Joe Biden has nominated Admiral Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, an historic step that would break a gender barrier in the U.S. military by making her the first woman to command the service and to become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - if and when the Senate confirms her.

    Several states have limited abortion access since Roe v. Wade was overturned, and the military argues that women service members cannot choose where they are stationed.

    Tuberville’s hold cannot prevent the Democratic-majority Senate from voting on any promotion, but it can drastically slow down the process.


    I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • @tallwookie
    link
    English
    51 year ago

    isnt the President the leader of all armed forces?

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      41 year ago

      Yes, but Senate approval for higher promotions is supposed to function as a check on the presidents’ military powers. I’m by no means an expert, but I think the idea is that having the Senate vote to approve or deny promotions of a certain level or above keeps the president from installing a bunch of loyal followers to key positions and then dissolving the other branches of government through threat or use of his new personal military force.