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Defense issues take center stage this week as the House and Senate return to work from a two-week recess.
The full Senate Armed Services Committee conducted a hearing Tuesday morning to consider the nomination of Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the Air Force chief of staff, to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Brown would succeed Gen. Mark A. Milley, who is set to retire Sept. 30.
The SASC will hold a similar hearing Wednesday to consider the nomination of Gen. Randy A. George, the Army vice chief of staff, to be Army chief of staff.
George would succeed Gen. James C. McConville, who is set to retire in August.
It is unknown when the Senate will vote on either Brown or George's nomination.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., a member of the SASC, has held up every nominee for a military position requiring Senate confirmation since February.
Tuberville wants the Pentagon to scrap a policy that offers free paid leave and travel reimbursement to active-duty service members who must go out of a state for abortions due to state laws that prohibit the procedure.
The senator contends the policy violates the Hyde amendment, which since 1980 has barred the use of federal funds to pay for abortion, except for when saving a woman's life or when a pregnancy arises from incest or rape.
In a June 15 press release, Tuberville said neither the White House nor Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III had tried discussing the Defense Department's policy with him.
"No one has contacted me, there has not been one conversation, no path forward," he said of the White House.
"I have spoken to Secretary Austin, outside of Armed Services hearings, exactly once in the last two years," Tuberville continued. "That was a 10-minute phone call — three months ago. He made absolutely no effort to find a compromise in our situation."
Tuberville's timing potentially affects four JCS posts.
Besides JCS chairman and the Army chief of staff, the Marine Corps commandant and the chief of naval operations are also turning over this summer.
Without Senate confirmations, these positions would be filled by senior officers in an acting capacity who wouldn't have the post's full authorities or benefits.
Senators from both parties have used holds on Senate confirmations to press federal agencies to answer questions or take certain actions.
Tuberville's hold is unusual due to the number of people and the nature of the positions affected.
Pentagon officials and lawmakers in both parties have said Tuberville's hold hurts military readiness.
But Tuberville has shown no signs of abandoning his position.
However, there are reports that the Senate could hold special individual votes on all four JCS positions before it recesses July 28 for August.
Meanwhile, the House will take up the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act this week.
House members have submitted more than 1,500 amendments, the vast majority of which won't reach a floor vote.
House officials are seeking a Friday vote for the legislation.
The White House has also weighed in on the proceedings.
In its Statement of Administration Policy, the Office of Management and Budget reiterates is opposition to creating a Space National Guard.
OMB urges Congress not to "create a new bureaucracy with far-reaching and enduring implications and expense."
The National Guard Bureau has long said a Space Guard could easily be created from the 14 existing Air Guard space units operating across eight states and territories.
According to NGB, a far larger expense would be eliminating the units and recreating them within a single-component Space Force.
NGAUS and the adjutants general have personally appealed to President Joe Biden about launching a Space Guard. Neither group has received a response.
The HASC version of the fiscal 2024 NDAA includes a provision to create a Space Guard.
— By John Goheen
