mr. ricketts, no. mr. king, no. the clerk: mr. schmitt, aye.

vote: the clerk: mr. johnson, aye.

the clerk: ms. ernst, no.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye.

the clerk: mr. young, aye. mr. tuberville, aye. ms. rosen, no. mr. cruz, aye.

the clerk: mr. moran, aye.

the clerk: mr. daines, aye.

the clerk: ms. butler, no. mr. kelly, no.

ms. hirono, no. the clerk: mr. schumer, no.

the clerk: mrs. fischer, aye. mr. merkley, no. mr. bennet, no.

the clerk: mr. lujan, no. vote: the clerk: mr. blumenthal, no.

the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 434, the nays are -- the yeas are 43, the nays 53. the 60-vote threshold not being achieved, the bill as amended fails of passage. the senator from new mexico.

mr. lujan: i ask that the senate be in morning business with senators permitted to speak for ten minutes therein each. mr. sullivan: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: i thank my colleagues for coming down tonight. we're in a very dangerous world. our country is being challenged on multiple fronts across the globe. we literally have american troops under attack in the middle east. as a member of the armed services committee, as a u.s. marine corps colonel, i know, we all know in the senate, america needs to have our best players, most combat-capable leaders on the field. right now, that's not happening. it needs to change. mr. president, i want to begin by saying something very clear, you're going to hear this a lot, i'm as pro-life as they come. i strongly disagree with what

secretary austin, president biden have done with their military -- their politicization of the military on a whole host of fronts, including the abortion policy, which i think is illegal, violates the hyde amendment, and i've been working with many colleagues, but especially senator tuberville, from alabama, side by side, for months trying to get this reversed, trying to get compromises. at the same time, we've been telling the majority leader do your job, do your job. bring up nominees so we can vote on them. now, we've had to force him to do it. tomorrow, we're going to be voting on the cno of the navy, member ever the joint chiefs, chief of staff of the air force, assistant commandant of the marine corps. not because the majority leader brought them up, but we forced them to. he needs to do his job. i also firmly believe that one of our most core, basic principles, certainly as

republicans, which i think in many ways distinguishes us from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, is our serious focus on national security, readiness, a strong military, and taking care of our troops in their -- and their families. we all know there are current hold on our military. i want the american people to know right now, 376 promotions to one, two, three, and four-star generals and admirals are being held. it is estimated by the enof this year -- end of this year, 89% of all general officer positions in the united states military will be affected by the current holds from senator tuberville. either they -- our members have to be forced to retire, positions not filled, in acting capacity, unable to retire. this is pretty much the entire officer corps. this is hugely disruptive to readiness, mr. chairman. a couple examples, 288 one and

two-star generals being held. these are the men and women who run the military right now. we're going to talk about other places. the first marine expeditionary force, third marine expeditionary force, these are the war-fighting organizations of the marine corps, the seventh fleet, which is our fighting naval force in the taiwan straight, fifth fleet, fighting naval force in the middle east. it goes on and on, nato deputy chairmen, three-star job, empty. deputy u.s. centcom commander, empty. the head of the navy nuclear program, head of missile defense, all nonconfirmed. we have a big challenge, mr. president, right now. let me be a bit more blunt on the issue of morale. the military has a huge readiness and retention problem. these holds are not helping. as i mentioned, i'm a senior colonel in the marines, many of the one-star and two-star being

held right now are in my peer group. i've known these men and women for 30 years. there is growing bitterness within the ranks of our military, driven by this fact, and i want people to understand this. the men and women in the military who have served our country so well for decades, probably the most combat-experienced generation since world war ii, have made huge sacrifices, multiple deployments, and now their careers are being punished over a policy dispute they had nothing to do with and no power to resolve. that's what's happening right now. the idea that some of these officers are supposedly woke or desk jockeys, it's ridiculous. these are some of the most combat-experienced generals and admirals we've ever had in our countries.

finally, mr. president, these holds also -- they also pose strategic risks to our force. what does that mean? we're starting to see military officers saying, admirals and generals, i'm getting out, or they have to get out if they're going to be timed out. we had a scandal in the u.s. navy simple years ago, the fat leonard scandal. it literally wiped out a generation of navy officers who had pacific experience. we do not want to be responsible for a senate-inflicted hollowing out of our most experienced military officers, especially given how dangerous the world is right now. i've mentioned this before. i worked closely with senator tuberville for months, always defending his holds, always looking for compromise. the one we're working on now,

lift the hold on the military officers who have nothing to do with this dispute and can't resolve it anyways, and put a hold on the under secretary of defense for policy, who is in charge of this issue. let's do that. that's a good compromise. but we haven't made progress, and the world is a dangerous place. so tonight, we're taking another approach. for months, senator tuberville has said if individual nominees are brought up for a vote, one at a time, he will be fine with that. on september 6, he said, quote, i'm not holding up nominations for being approved. they can bring them to the floor one at a time. well, tonight that's exactly what we're going to do. individual votes on individual nominees, just as senator tuberville has requested. we have dozens. i hope the senator from alabama meant what he said on this issue and he backs our troops, who are

true warriors, and yes, heroes, who along with their families have dedicated their lives to this country, risked their lives for this country, and have nothing to do with this current policy dispute. nothing at all. last night on tv, senator tuberville said he was, quote, all for the military, in particular our military heroes. well, mr. president, you're going to hear a lot about military heroes tonight. hopefully, we're going to get a bunch of them confirmed, one by one as we bring them up. i yield to my colleague from iowa. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: thank you, mr. president. the world is on fire because of joe biden's failed leadership and ongoing weakness. our enemies are on the march. our servicemembers are under attack by iran-backed proxies. and our country is under greater

threat than it has been in years. innocent lives are on the line here at home and abroad. at home the biden dod is waging a war on the unborn, a war that is immoral and unlawful. i'm a mother. i've carried a baby girl in my womb who is now a second lieutenant in the united states army, and my baby girl is now carrying a baby of her own, and i am proudly, adamantly and unabashedly pro-life.

i always will be. that's why i've, i've led the legislation to overturn this woke dod policy and will not rest in this fight for life, especially as we work through this year's defense bill. abroad our friend and ally, israel, is under assault by ruthless iran-backed hamas. jewish babies have been murdered, burned in ovens, and some even stripped from their mothers' wiewms. as a -- mothers' wombs. as a 23-year combat veteran and retired lieutenant colonel of our great united states army, i firmly believe the pentagon

should be focused on protecting innocent life, not destroying it. joe biden and secretary austin are weak and woke. the architects of this immoral policy should be held accountable. anyone trying to insert their radical agenda into the military has no place in the pentagon. no senate should support any person or dollar that threatens the lethality of our war fighters. catering to the far left does not win wars or keep americans safe. our servicemembers have been failed by their commander in chief, and we must do right by them and the security and protection of our own nation. for over nine months now, chuck schumer has used our military

men and women as political pawns, refusing to allow the senate to do its job of vetting and voting on military nominees. only when republicans forced the majority leader's hand did he finally relent and move on a few of those nominees. tonight, we're once again standing up for valiant individuals who have answered the call to selfless service. unlike in the past when promotions were quietly approved en bloc, with no discussion, tonight we will be highlighting the distinguished careers of each, and then putting their nomination before the senate for confirmation, individually, by

voice vote. and with that, mr. president, i will yield the floor. mr. gram: -- mr. graham: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. many. mr. graham: thank you for your leadership. senator tuberville, i hope to get this behind us if possible. my contribution to the debate is as follows, the bedrock of our democracy is that the military will be subordinate to civilian control. that has served our nation well, that no matter who is in uniform, the answer -- they answer to civilian authorities and they're subordinate to the will of the civilian leadership, elected and appointed. that has really helped our country be who we are today. one of the things that i can't understand is if you require our military to be subordinate to the people above them and to -- in the civilian world, why would you punish them for something

they've got nothing to do with? all of these people, and if we need to call all 376, i'll be glad to do it, i'll get some rest this weekend and come back next week, i'm going to start with two, all i'm asking is to allow major general laura enderman to get pro-- laura lenderman to get promoted. major general lenderman is a two-star general of she got promoted to three-star because her peers, the military promotions system, saw in her leadership qualities, and after i read her bio, i now know why she got promoted. she's going to be the deputy commander headquarters pacific air force alike. she would be responsible for air force activities history activie

globe, serving principally 234 in japan, alaska, and guam. that's got a lot to do with the indo-pacific theater. she has 3,000 flight hours as a kc-135, kc-10 pilot. she flies through refueling tankers that our bombers come up to stay in the fight. this is some of the hardest flying in the air force. you've the gao to have your stuff together because refueling at night is no easy thing. i've actually seen it done. i'm an air force lawyer. they shouldn't let me near an airplane. they didn't. i can tell you this. this lady has proven herself time and time again. 3,000 hours -- tim a.m. sure most -- i'm sure most of of it is combat -- doing some of the hardest things any pilot can do in the air force. she has got zero to do with what happened. i don't know what her beliefs are about the life issue. i'm pro-life, too. but i don't want to start asking

our military members litmus test questions. she deserves to be promoted. you're not going to change policy that she didn't make by denying her the ability to be promoted. we need this lady as a three-star yesterday to deal with the threats coming from china and that part of the world. she's had a graduate of duke university. she's had every major job i can think of in transportation command at scott air force base in illinois. which i have been to several times. so i am asking tonight that she be allowed to be promoted because she's h. nothing to do with the policy, holding her hostage doesn't help the pro-life cause. it hurts the military. and the most pro-life people i know of, the ones that are willing to die for us, she is willing too die for this

country. she has proven herself time and time again. she needs to be promoted. therefore, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, executive calendar 189, laura l. lenderman to lieutenant general, deputy commander, pacific air forces. that the senate vote on the nomination, with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? the senator from alabama. tuberculosis reserving the right -- mr. tuberville: reserving the right to object, i want to start by thanking my colleagues for their service in the armed forces of the greatest country ever. this is no institution -- there is no institution in this world i honor more than the united states military. i am thankful to every veteran

in this country. i also with a tonight note that i respect my colleagues' strong pro-life voting record. the republican party has been the pro-life party for half a century. we ought to be proud that we stand for life. we stand for the most vulnerable of our society, the unborn. i know my colleagues here share that conviction. the disagreement we're having today is about tactics. so let me explain why i'm doing this. how we got here and where we go from here. nine months ago the pentagon announced that they would start using our taxpayer dollars to facilitate abortion. let me say that one more time. nine months ago, the pentagon announced -- announced -- by

memo that they would start using our taxpayer dollars to facilitate abortion. the pentagon is now paying for travel and extra time off for servicemembers and their dependents to get abortions. congress never voted for this. we also never appropriated the money for this. there is no law that allows them to do this. in fact, there is a law that says they can't do this. one more time. there is a law that says they can't do this. created in this room. it's 10 u.s.c. section 1093. it says the only time the pentagon can spend taxpayer dollars abortion is in cases of rape, incest, and threat to the health of the mom. so this is a policy that is

illegal and immoral. this is about life. and it's also about the rule of law. it's about our constitution. it's about whether we make laws at the pentagon or whether we follow the constitution. this is also about the integrity of our military. the only thing in this world i honor more than our military is the constitution. we all swore to uphold the constitution. i also feel very strongly about the obligation to uphold it every day in this room. i cannot simply sit idly by while the biden administration injects politics in our military -- again, injects politics in our military -- from the white house and spends taxpayers' dollars on abortion.

the only power that a senator in the minority has is to put a hold on a nomination. the only thing. i'm not the first person to do this. holds on nominations happen all the time. holds on military nominations have happened many, many, many, many times before. typically they don't last this long because the administration will work with a senator until the issue is resolved. but that has not happened this time. zero negotiation. abortion is the most important thing to the democrats that they have and they won't negotiate it. one more time. abortion is the most important thing the democrats have, and they will not negotiate. this has been going on for nine months. every day this continues is a

day that democrats think abortion is more important than the nomination in our military. i support many of these nominees, and i agree that these are very, very important jobs. but we could have been voting on these nominees the entire nine months. the senate has had more than 90 days off this year, not including weekends. each nomination could take as little as two hours. in fact, tomorrow we'll be voting on three of the most important nominees that we forced the leader of the senate to bring to the floor. the nominees at the very top ought to be voted on anyway. these jobs are too important not to receive the advise and consent of the senate. i have to respectfully disagree

with my colleagues about the effect of my hold on readiness. my hold is not affecting readiness. the biden administration has been saying this for months, but nobody has an explanation, nobody. the fact is, no jobs -- no jobs -- are going unfilled. every job -- every job is being done. in fact, general mark milley said recently that our readiness is the best it has been in years. time and again, generals and servicemembers have assured me that they're ready to go. i believe them. so i'm going to keep my holds in place. if senators want to vote on these nominees one by one, i'm all in. i'm happy to do that. but i will keep my hold in place until the pentagon follows the

law or the democrats change the law. this is about our constitution. this is about the rule of law. that's what we're about in here. it's about the intech grit of our military. -- it's about the integrity of our military. it's about keeping politics, politics out of the military. i did not put it in the military. joe biden and secretary austin put politics in the military. and it's about the right to life. these are some of the most important things in the world to me. and so, mr. president, i object o. the presiding officer: objection is heard. the senator from south carolina. mr. graham: i'll have another one. let me respond to my colleague respectfully. we have courts. if you think they've done something illegal, go to court. that's how you handle these things. the pentagon has issued a legal

opinion i disagree with saying this doesn't violate the hyde amendment. i disagree with it. here's what's going to happen. you've just denied this lady a promotion. you did that. all of us are ready to promote her because she deserves to be prolated. she had nothing to do with this policy. let me say it again. everybody in this body could find an issue with any administration they don't agree with and what we're going to do is open up a pandora's box. today is abortion policy. if we take back the white house, we'll go back to the mexico city policy, limiting dollars to be given to overseas entities that are engaged in the abortion business. some pro-choice people don't like that. what would happen if they put a hold on all the officers because they don't agree with the republican administration? there's a reason this has not been done this way for a couple

hundred years. no matter whether you believe it or not, senator tuberville, this is doing great damage to our military. i don't say that lightly. i have been trying to work with you for nine months. folks, if this keeps going, people are going to leave. let me tell you how the system works. you have 18 months, i think, from the time you're promoted to move on. if you don't make that grade, your time for upgrade kicks in. if people don't get promoted soon, they are real estate going to be out of the military. how does that help anybody if they're qualified? there's not one senator in here that could not find a reason to object to an administration policy. in the military, none of us -- we could all find something. iious hope we don't do this rue tunely. because if this is the norm, who the hell wants to serve in the military when your promotion can be canned based on something you

had nothing to do with? she had nothing to do with this. if you think it is illegal, go to court. we have courts in this country. so i've got one more. rear admiral fred kacher. sorry if i mispronounced your name. he's been promoted to three-star. okay. that's a pretty big deal. what job does he have? he's going to be the commander of the seventh fleet japan. somebody is doing is his job right now, but they're not a three star. we have a military promotion system to reward people who are good at what they do so they can have more responsibility. this officer had zero to do with the pentagon's decision, which i don't like and you don't like. but he can't get promoted because of one of us.

there's no end to this, folks. this gets to be the norm, you're going to wreck the military promotion system. you're punishing people who are by law understand the constitution required to be subservient to civilian control. they have to follow civilian control. and you're punishing them for something they didn't do. punish the civilians who made the policy. that's the way to do it. i'm going to move that rear admiral fred kacher be immediately promoted to three star, seventh fleet japan commander, the largest forward-deployed fleet operating around china, russia, and north korea. given the threats coming from that area, i think we need this guy like yesterday. he's a 1990 u.s. naval graduate, commanded guided-missile

destroyers, he's been like -- this is amazing. you need to read about this guy. we want this guy. coach, we need this guy. we're in a fight. we need the best people on the field. he's off the field for something he had nothing to do with. and if this gets to be normal, i'll end where i started -- if this gets to be normal, god help the military. because every one of us could find some reason to object to policy. let's just don't hold hostage the men and women who have to follow civilian control. let's don't ruin the lives of all these people who've been serving our inauguration for decades -- who've been serving our nation for decades. their families can't enroll in school, some will be knocked out of the promotion because of time and grade problems. they're family is struggling because they can't move on to the next assignment. this doesn't help anybody, any cause. so i ask unanimous consent thats

promotion be taken up under the executive calendar. get my script here. 189 at rear admiral kagan 7th fleet commander that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed, the action, motion to reconsider be made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator will hold. mr. graham: executive calendar number 85.

the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. graham: frederick w. kacher. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. the senator from indiana. a senator: i thank the president for the recognition. mr. young: let me begin with the obvious because i think senator graham did a great job of laying out what's at stake. he offered multiple arguments for why these amazing patriots who have dedicated their professional lives to defending our safety, our security, our way of life should be promoted and should be promoted this evening. the different take is just to begin with the obvious. we are in the midst of the most complicated and therefore the most complex and par rillous

security -- perilous security environment i've experienced in my adult lifetime certainly. israel, our closest friend, our ally, is at war. ukrainian freedom fighters remain at war against our adversary russia. we have a porous southern border. last month alone we had 18 individuals apprehended who were apprehended who are on the terrorist watch list. there are all sorts of concerns about what might happen in the indo-pacific amidst this environment. we need a fully staffed, fully competent, fully engaged, and focused security establishment. we need these individuals to be put in place to assume the jobs that they are prepared for. so the security environment is

incredibly dangerous. that means the, mr. tuberville's constituents in alabama, my constituents in indiana and americans all across the country, all across the world, their safety and security is endangered amidst this perilous time. so that's unique. but what's also unique is the number of holds. my friend -- and he is my friend. he is a genuine friend. i've got a lot of respect for this man, senator tuberville to my right. but the number of holds is certainly extraordinary. i think he would concede that because he's also a smart colleague. the length of the holds is extraordinary as well. but the tactics here, this is something that senator sullivan, who showed great leadership on this issue; senator ernst, myself, and

many other colleagues have questioned. i am fervently, i am passionately, i am unapologetically pro-life in conviction and in deed. my reputation is untarnished and it's unambiguous in that regard. so i have every interest in seeing that we assume a smart tactic, a smart game plan, if you will. and to hold responsible effect ively 300 nominated patriots who ought to be pinning on a star or another star right now, hold them professionally responsible for this and by extension to undermine the safety of the american people during this perilous time just doesn't make any sense to me. instead it makes more sense for

us to hold accountable someone who the president has nominated to fill the policy position at the pentagon who would actually oversee implementation and administration of this horrible policy. i've said that publicly. and to the extent mr. tuberville would remain open to put, putting it delicately, to taking that hostage, i'd be open to that tactic. but because that's not the case, we have a disagreement here. it's going to have to be reconciled. i know senator tuberville wants to be a good teammate, a good pro-life teammate and a good national security teammate. there's an opportunity here for him to agree to at least, at

least allow the following patriot to be confirmed this evening. mr. president, i call to the floor executive calendar number 131, vice admiral carl thomas, united states navy, to be vice admiral and deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare. mr. young: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the executive session for consideration of the following nomination -- executive calendar number 131, carl thomas to be vice admiral and deputy chief of naval operations

for information warfare, office of the chief of naval operations, director of naval intelligence. that the senate vote on the nomination of this esteemed individual with whom i visited when i was in japan earlier this year, without intervening action or debate. that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. romney: mr. president, i rise out of great concern for our military, for its readiness at a time of great peril. but also out of concern for the men and women who are being held up and whose careers and prospects and families and plans

are being interrupted by virtue of the decision by in this case two people. one, secretary austin and the other is senator tuberville to take intractable positions. and it's simply a, in my opinion, an abuse of the powers we have as senators to say if there's something we vehemently disagree with that we're going to use that power to hold up the promotion of over 350 men and women in our military. we each have things we might disagree with with the military, and some would come with deep personal convictions about their morality. but if each senator felt empowered to hold up all promotions in our military unless we got our way on one of those issues, why our military would grind to a halt. this power is extraordinary that we're given as individual senators, but it's incumbent upon us to use it in a reasonable way and not to abuse it in such a way that we end up

putting in harm's way the capabilities of our military and the well-being of our men and women in uniform. senator tuberville correctly pointed out, i believe he's absolutely right that what secretary austin did was in contravention of the hyde amendment, against the law. we have a process for pursuing things that are done by an administration that are against the law. it's the court process. i'm happy to join with an amicus brief or even file a legal action to reverse the pentagon's policy. that's the process we should follow in a circumstance like this, not one that is being exacted upon 350 men and women who we need to in service and whose lives are being so badly disrupted. i would also offer this. senator tuberville, if the

department of defense, secretary austin, were to say okay we'll no longer pay for the travel of these individuals and their dependents but instead allow a private charity to do so, would that be acceptable to you and allow this to go away? so if, for instance, if secretary austin agrees, all right, we'll eeliminate this policy but we will allow a private charity to provide for the travel for someone who wants to receive an abortion in a state where that procedure is legal, would that satisfy you and allow this impasse to be resolved? mr. tuberville: senator, that was the type of negotiation i've been looking for for the last nine months. nobody, zero, has come to me with any alternatives to bypass to get this done. mr. romney: would that be an acceptable --. mr. tuberville: it would be a good starting point. we could sit down and work this out. we can't do it without

negotiation. that's what i was saying earlier. there has been zero negotiation. there's been no give. it's all been take. three one-minute calls with the secretary of def. haven't talked to him since june. there's been no more conversation. how do you work out a problem without communication? mr. romney: i have ways of doing that. i'll pick up a phone and have that conversation. but we have to make sure that we do not continue to hold up 350-plus people from being able to get promoted. that's essential to our military. thank you, mr. president. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: mr. president, we're going to start moving through some of these nominations. my colleague from alabama has said publicly, hey, bring them up one at a time, and we're asking for a voice vote. so that's a vote. so we're doing what he said. i'm not sure why he's objecting.

maybe he can explain that in a minute when i bring up another, a real hero, by the way. look, what senator tuberville said about the policy and austin and biden on this abortion policy, i fully agree with him. we should be suing to stop it. i think it's illegal. and he's also right, everybody uses holds. i certainly use holds. but the key is you put a hold on someone who typically has some kind of control over the issue that you're trying to fix, some kind of responsibility. one of the things i've been talking to the senator from alabama on is let's put a hold on the undersecretary of defense for policy. he's the guy. he's a civilian and he's in charge of this policy dispute. let's put a hold on him. that's the right guy. and squeeze him. but why are we putting holds on war heroes? i'm going to get to one here in a minute. again, i just -- i don't

understand. and, look, we can go in and out of readiness, but my colleague from alabama is 100% wrong. no kidding. the readiness is being impacted when you have -- i'll give a couple of examples here. this is just from one theater. ucom. the deputy chairman of nato, pretty important job. it's a three-star bill, and it's empty. the deputy commander general of u.s. army in europe, really important job. empty. like i said, one -- the big marine corps combined force that fights anywhere in the world, 25,000 marines, commanded by a three-star, it's a two-star. for those who serve in the military, we understand this is a problem. same with three-meth.

this is just from ucom, european command. 72 officers are unable to assume their new positions. these 72 officers include 52 who cannot move because they have been nominated for a position that requires senate confirmation as well as 20 other officers who are projected to be assigned to a new position now held by one of the previous 52 officers. it's creating a giant blockage in the way in which the military operates. to say there's no readiness issues, i'm the ranking member of the readiness subcommittee on the armed services committee. there is readiness issues, and that's the whole point. we have a really dangerous world, a really dangerous world, right now, and to say oh, don't worry, this isn't impacting readiness. with all due respect to my colleague, that's just wrong. it's not even a close call. it's wrong.

and it matters to this country. let me give you another example. the head of the naval nuclear propulsion program, the nuclear navy, one of the best-run organizations on the present t earth. if you know anything about the military or just organizations. started by admiral rickover. to not have the leadership in charge of the nuclear navy? that's a problem. to not have the leadership in charge of missile defense for america? that's a problem. look, we can debate readiness, but my colleague on this, in my view, is quite, respectfully, quite misinformed. let me, madam president, bring

up my first nominee now. this goes to the issue of some comments that have come out during this -- well, these one-star and two-star generals are kind of desk jockeys, right? these comments have been made. they're not warriors, right? the real warriors are the captains, the sergeants. i love the whole military, but the generals, i know a lot of them, that's my peer group in the marine corps. i'm a little behind them. i'm not going to be promoted. i'm getting out here probably soon. i know these guys. and the idea that somehow these are desk jockeys, you know who these people were? the one and two-stars we're holding up, 289 of them, these were the captains and lieutenants who were going fighting in afghanistan and iraq after 9/11. the current commandant of the marine corps, every american should be praying for him, big

health issues, he's got a purple heart, distinguished combat. these are the people who were kicking in doors in fallujah, shooting terrorists in the face! and we have people saying they're desk jockeys and not warriors? that's just ridiculous. it's ridiculous. and it's insulting! so i'm going to talk about a warrior. madam president, i'm getting read why to call up colonel robert whiler. he's been nominated to be a one-star brigadier general, to be the deputy -- to be the first marine division assistant commander. that's the big division on the west coast of the united states marine corps, infanltry. i used -- infantry. i used to be part of that division. proud of that. you need a deputy commander. they don't have one. let's talk about colonel whiler.

28-year career, commanded 5th marine regiment. most deck -- decorated in the marine corps. second battalion, 24th marines, deployed to iraq and afghanistan i think six times. think about what his family went through. think about what his family has sacrificed. right now, people are being told you're not going anywhere, general -- no, colonel, because we have a dispute on an issue you have nothing to do with, that you can't resolve. let's hear more about this colonel in the marine corps. he received a silver star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as commanding officer weapons company second battalion fourth marines fifth marine regiments. 2004, in support of operating iraqi freedom. heavily engaged by enemy forces

for an over four-hour firefight while wounded by enemy fire. purple heart. he continued to fearlessly lead marines as they destroyed this tenacious enemy. he's no woke guy. he's no desk jockey. oh, what else did he do? he got a purple heart in that vicious combat. he received a navy and marine corps commendation medal with a combat distinguishing device for heroic action in another deployment, second battalion fourth marines first marine division on 6 september in ramadi, iraq, took action by directing fires, quickly gaining fire superiority and suppressing and killing the enemy. though dazed by a major blast, he continued to lead and direct his team in combat where they killed and captured all five insurgents on their target raid

list. we're going to block him tonight? senator from alabama last night on tv said he respects all military, especially the heroes. well, you got one coming. you got one coming, senator. so, we're going to do what you asked, which is do a vote individually on this american hero. i ask, mr. president, unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, colonel robert s. weirer to be -- weiler to be brigadier general in the marine corps, that the senate vote on the nomination, without intervening action or debate, if confirmed the motion to reconsider be made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there

objection? tuberville madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: reserving the right to object. i'd like to correct something that my colleague has said. not one time in my life have i ever said anything about anybody in our military that was a desk jockey. i don't know where he got that from. i guess that's a military term. i would not do that. i would not disrespect anybody in any job in the military that they've ever done. i just want to set that story straight with people that will write a little bit about this disagreement tonight. with that, madam president, i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. ms. ernst: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: madam president, i know this is a frustrating exercise, but we are going to flesh out some of these nominees tonight.

truly incredible individuals that have served our nation through thick and thin. these are folks that deserve to be promoted. i rise today to talk about lieutenant general gregory m. gio on his promotion to the grade of general and his nomination to be the next commander of u.s. northern command in the north american aerospace defense command, also known as norad. the general is from tucson, arizona, and is a proud graduate of the united states air force academy. i'm sorry he couldn't get into west point. he has successfully commanded a flying squadron, operation group, two flying wings, and a numbered air force, and has admirably served on a numbered air force, major command, and combatant command staffs. he's an expert in his field.

as demonstrated by having been an air force weapons school instructor and graduate of the national war college. general gio is a decorated war fighter and senior air battle manager by training who is currently the deputy commander of u.s. central command. he has been instrumental integrating air, missile, and drone defense systems across the middle east, experience applicable to the challenges facing northcom's air and missile defenses. i believe general guillot's record and outstanding character make him the right nominee to serve there this important role. so, madam president, we can confirm this nomination by voice vote right here, now, and therefore, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed

to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination -- executive calendar number 236, lieutenant general gregory m. guillot to be general, that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. ms. ernst: madam president, if i can just address this very briefly before we move to my colleague from indiana. i have a discharge petition that was signed at our conference lunch the other day for lieutenant general gregory

m. guillot. that discharge petition was signed by senator tuberville, meaning that senator tuberville believed that we should be voting on general guillot. i was asking for a voice vote for general guillot this evening. i'm not sure how we remedy this situation, madam president, but i can tell you we will keep working on these nominations, and we will get answers someday, and they will be confirmed someday, if we have the intestinal fortitude to do what is right by our military men and women who have absolutely nothing to do with the policy that was put in place by secretary lloyd austin and

president joe biden. i yield the floor, madam president. mr. young: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. young: thank you, madam president. i call to the floor executive calendar number 238, lieutenant general jeffrey a. cruz, united states air force, to be lieutenant general and director defense intelligence agency. general cruz currently serves as the director's adviser for military affairs at the office of the dni. this is a post he's held since 2020. one need not have me explain to them, especially if they're tuned in to matters of national security, the importance of our defense intelligence agency at a time like this. previously, mr. kruse served as director for defense intelligence for war fighter

support in the office of the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security. prior to his osd and interagency roles, general kruse served as director of intelligence at u.s. indo-pacific command, deployed as director of intelligence for combined joint task force operation inherent resolve. and he served as senior special adviser for the commander of u.s. european command in supreme al-- and supreme allied commander in europe. he's commanded air force units at all levels across seemingly every geography, and he's deployed on multiple occasions to combat theaters around the globe. feeling good about this one. we can confirm this nomination by voice vote right now. feeling really good, senator tuberville. for that reason i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed

to executive session for the consideration of executive calendar number 238, jeffrey a. kruse, to be lieutenant general and director defense intelligence agency. the presiding officer: is there objection? no -- mr. young: further, i request that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. young: i call to the floor executive calendar number 188, lieutenant general kevin b. schneider, to be general, and commander of pacific air forces. general schneider has been serving as director of staff for

the air force since 2021. he's commanded at all levels, including a combat wing in the u.s. central command area of responsibility. general schneider is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours with 530 combat flight hours on multiple air frames. he's also earned numerous commendations including the bronze star and the air medal. we can confirm this nomination by voice vote right now, and therefore i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, executive calendar number 188, kevin b. schneider, to be general and commander, pacific air forces, that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: is

there objection? the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: socks is heard. mr. young: i call to the floor pollute general james w. beardman to be lieutenant general and the deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations for headquarters u.s. marine corps, general beerman has helped most recently serves at the commander of the third marine expeditionary force and marine forces japan. he's shown a true commitment to service in this posting ensuring that marines remain prepared to face any future threats. general beerman is also deployed multiple times, including to afghanistan and iraq, where he led marines in combat operations. his many commandations include the bronze star with command

distinguishing. we can confirm him by voice vote right now. therefore, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, executive calendar number 107, james w.bierman j that the senate without on the nomination with no intervening action or debate, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action a. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president, i object. the presiding officer: socks is heard. mr. young: having remembered that objection, madam president, i call to the floor executive calendar number 13123 lieutenant general michael s. centerholm, united states marine corps be expeditionary force.

general sutterholm has been commandant for aviation since july 2022, a position he held with high distinction s he's held many operational assignments including in u.s. marine corps forces command and as top gun instructor pilot. he's flown operational tours in all aircraft at the marine corps has to offer. the general has helped numerous other assignments, including deployments in furtherance of operations enduring freedom, joint task force southern watch and iraqi freedom. he's also served in many commanding officer postings including commanding general of task force baltic watch tower and commanding general second manner aircraft wing. we can confirm this nomination by voice vote right now, and, therefore, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, executive calendar number 132, michael s.

cederholm. that the senate vote on the nomination, with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from bam. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. young: madam president, i'm going to make one further attempt. i call to the floor executive calendar number 84, rear admiral george m.weickoff, currently serves as acting commander for navy air forces. he began his career serving as a naval aviator, moving up to

command strike fighter squadron 211. carrier aircraft wing 3, and carrier strike group 5. among many command assignments, he has notably sterved as commander of the strike fighter squadron,. shore acitements include a posting at air warfare center s as top gun training officer, battle director at the combined air and space operations center in qatar and many other critical postings. we can confirm this nomination by voice vote right now, and i therefore ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination. executive calendar number 84, george m. wikoff to be vice admiral and commander fifth fleet, the senate vote on the

nomination, with no intervening action or debate, and if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: thank you, madam president. just for people who are watching, that last nominee -- fifth fleet commander. so you may have heard there's two carrier strike groups in the middle east. that's the naval officer who'd be in charge of all of it right there. we should have put him in charge. pretty important to have a fifth fleet commander ready to go. and just objected to. i'm not sure why. again, we're bringing this up one by one, which is what i thought my colleague from alabama said he was good to go with. but, madam president, before i

start going through my list, i just want to say, if anyone is watching, senator ernst and i were just talking about this, just listen to these buyios. this is the best -- bios. this is the best of the america. this is the best of america and these men and women have been serving and sacrificing honorably for literally decades. all of them almost 30 years at least. so when you think about it, think about the families behind these men and women. think about their sacrifice. and they're sacrificing a lot right now. there is a lot of uncertainty. in my view, it is just a big mistake. again, i'm with senator tuberville on the policy, that the biden administration, secretary austin -- we got to fix that. but this tactic of making the

military members who have nothing to do with it, punishing them and their careers, which is what's happening -- don't kid yourself -- hurting their families, it's the wrong way to go about it, especially at this very dangerous time. so, madam president, many a. going to -- i'm going to call up the next promotion, vice admiral james w.kilby to be a united states navy admiral and vice chief of naval operations. now, you want to talk about a readiness issue, the vice chief of naval operations is the person who's going to be in charge for america of our very decrepit shipbuilding and industrial base. everybody knows that that's a readiness problem. and i've been told by many military officers that admiral k conflict of interest lby is the

person, the lead -- admiral kilby is the person to turn america's shipbuilding in the right directionment. this person is the individual who can turn it around. i have been told by many. here's why. over 30 years in the navy, commanded the uss us are ru-486, the uss monterey, cg-61, vice admiral kilby's additional tours weren't on the uss samson, the u.s. philippine c are two tours on the uss san juancinto. so very important person that we could get moving right now to help our very weak industrial

capacity to build ships. which everybody knows as it relates to china is probably one of the most important readiness issues we have to deal with. this person tonight, this leader tonight could be confirmed and start that shipbuilding capacity for america tomorrow. as the vice cno. so with that, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for consideration of the following nomination -- executive calendar 335, james w. kilby to be admiral and advice chief of naval operations, that the senate vote on the nomination, with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama.

mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: objection is is heard. mr. sullivan: madam president, the next nominee -- again, we're doing them one at a time, one at a time. i thought that's what my colleague and friend from alabama wanted. still hasn't explained why one in a time is not what he want the. but maybe he'll do that. this is regular order, by the way. for those who wondered, well, it's not regular order. nobody knows what that means. but this is regular order because in the senate for 200 years, we have brought up and confirmed one and two and three-star generals just like this. regular order voice votes. so when my colleague said, i'm good to go with bringing up individuals for a voice vote, for a vote, that's what we're doing. that's what we're doing o. all right. no explanation over there so far. let me talk about major general

sean gainey of the u.s. army, to be lieutenant general and commanding general of u.s. army space and missile defense command. wow! that is a really important -- u.s. army space and missile defense command. we want a leader on those issues. here' little bit about him. 33 years. 33 years. patriotic service s he has served as deputy commanding general for the u.s. army cadet command, army and air defense missile command, and deputy director for force projection, ja -- overseeing the joint integrated air and missile defense organization. major general gainey has deployed in support of operation enduring freedom, most recently major general gainey served as director of the joint uas office

in the g-35 and 7 at hours of the army. in essence, this general is an expert, not just on missile command but on fires. to protect our nation. very qualified. i hope we can confirm him right now. our country needs him. therefore, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination -- executive calendar number 47, sean a. gainey, u.s. army, space and missile defense command. really important build. really important command, that at senate vote on the nomination, with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama.

mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. sullivan: madam president, let meet move on to another army officer in the same kind of billet that again really matters. this would be again on missile defense. this is lieutenant general a.garan of the u.s. space force. i apologize. imansed he was in the army. -- i mentioned he was in the army. he is actually in this the u.s. space force, to be lieutenant general commander space systems command, u.s. space force. again, a really important billet, once again if you look at this career, 29 years. 29 years. patriotic service to our country. think about what his family has been through, multiple deployments. he has serve as commander of the 689-arss air armament center.

egg land air force base, deputy air force program executive officer for space, space and missile systems center, los angeles air force base. by the way, madam president, these officers who are doing all the space work, space force, army, navy -- brilliant. we don't have their resumes in terms of their schools, but i guarantee you these are physicists, brilliant, brilliant army, space force, air force officers who all americans should be proud of. lieutenant general garrant most recently served as deputy chief of space operations, strategy plans, programs, and requirements for the u.s. space force. and we can confirm him right now, individual voice vote, madam president. so i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the executive session for the consideration of the following nomination -- executive calendar number 293, lieutenant

general phillip a. garrant, u.s. space force, to be lieutenant general and commander space systems command, u.s. space force. that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. sullivan: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: madam president, i'm going to bring up another important lieutenant general. when we talk about mental health, when we talk about taking care of our troops -- we've had a big suicide problem in alaska -- having the top surgeon general in the military is also really important. these aren't just combat

positions. these are other really important positions. so, madam president, i want to talk about brigadier general mary v. kruger, u.s. army to be lieutenant general and the surgeon general of the united states army. she has had a 32-year career in the army, served as the supervisory assistant of deputy health affairs, assistant secretary of the army for manpower and reserve affairs, the commander of the u.s. army health clinic and division surgeon for the fourth infantry division. again, boy, do we need that, in my state, my troops, my military, the mental health issues are so important. having the leader in the army as surgeon general will only enhance that issue. and we're saying none of this impacts readiness. brigadier general appointments

include iraq in support of operation iraqi freedom and operation new dawn from 2009 to 2012. brigadier kruej serve in the atlantic. i ask the senate proceed to mary v. krueger to be surgeon general in the united states army, that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. sullivan: madam president, let me move on to another

service. this is rear admiral daniel sheever u.s. navy to be vice admiral and commander air forces commander, naval air force, u.s. pacific. one thing that we always think about in the military, when you think 28, 29, 30 years, the combat experience, the experience that they bring, it's just remarkable. it's why we have the best military in the world. in this rear admiral, his career has this in spades. 34 years in the navy so far, rear admiral cheever, strike fighter squad ran 147, and completed -- carrier strike group. that is commanding a carrier strike group. that's several ships around an aircraft carrier. that is giant experience.

and we're making this person, this great leader sit on the bench when our country is in peril. rear admiral cheever has extensive experience for the commander u.s. 6th fleet and 17th air force and is a battle director at combined air and space operation center u.s. central command. most recently rear admiral cheever served as director of plans, policy and strategy north american aerospace, director of policy and strategy at u.s. northern command. so again, madam president, a great warrior right here, carrier strike group commander. only america produces these great warriors. i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, executive calendar number 181, daniel l. cheever vice admiral

air force commander, naval air force u.s. pacific fleet. the fleet that will take on china if we have a war there. we need this officer. that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. sullivan: madam president, this one is special to me. since we're doing all the different services, space force, navy, army, air force. this is major general roger turner, u.s. marine corps, to be lieutenant general and commanding general third marine expeditionary force and

commander marine forces japan. madam president, the third meth, three meth as we call it in the marine corps. we only have three in the marine corps. this is the meth in okinawa. forward deployed, waiting, ready to protect our interests. taiwan strait, indopacom. right now three meth doesn't have a three-star general. neither does one meth. that doesn't impact readiness? of course it does. anyone who knows anything about the military knows that that impacts readiness. so one of the most important fighting forces in the american military, three-meth, needs a lieutenant general in charge. lieutenant general roger turner served in the marine corps since 19 4. most recently served as commanding general of the first marine division. that's at camp pendelton,

infantry division, great experience. previously he served as command general of the marine air ground task force and marine air ground combat center, ready to go if there is a taiwan strait crisis or another challenge in the indopacom theater. we really need this general. for that reason we can confirm him right now, madam president. right now. voice vote, singular. what the senator from alabama has been asking for. we'll see. so, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the executive session for the consideration of the following nomination. executive calendar number 191 roger b. turner jr. to be lieutenant general and commanding general, third marine expeditionary force and commander marine forces japan. that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if

confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. we have got another incredible officer that we are bringing to the floor this evening for a voice vote. i do hope my colleague from alabama will explain to everyone out there that's watching why he has asked for individual votes and when given the opportunity, he is objecting to individual votes. i feel like we're in a holding pattern. but maybe he will care to explain that to us in a moment. but right now i do want to focus on this really incredible

officer. and i've had the opportunity to work with this officer. i'll talk about the most recent time that i interacted with him. so i am bringing to the floor right now vice admiral brad cooper on his nomination to be the next deputy commander of united states central command. so i just saw admiral cooper in bahrain, and the day i saw him in bahrain was october 7. october 7, the day that hamas overran the fences that separated the gaza strip and israel. the day that hamas went into

israel and murdered babies, raped women, cut babies out of their mothers' stomachs, killed innocent elderly men and women, abducted americans and took them into the gaza strip. that's the last day that i saw brad cooper. october 7, the terrorist strikes against israel. deputy commander of u.s. central command, what region is that? that is the region where israel is locateed. they need fine men and women at u.s. central command.

this is an area where we have seen great terrorists threats. our dear friends, the israelis, are struggling under the weight of iran-backed terrorist proxies. united states central command. we need leadership. i'm bringing forward vice admiral brad cooper. i will remind the body just as i did with general guillot that i passed around the republican conference the other day a discharge petition which means we would have a vote on vice admiral brad cooper. one of the signatures on that petition is my colleague from alabama.

he agreed to vote on this nominee, and we are giving him the opportunity to vote on this nominee who will be the deputy commander of u.s. central command, where we have what could be world war iii brewing. our friends, the israelis, need every last good man and woman that the united states has serving in these important positions. so a little bit about vice admiral brad cooper. he is the son of a career army officer. he attended high school in montgomery, alabama. vice admiral cooper joined the navy and received his commission

from the united states naval academy. he is a career surface warfare officer. he served on guided missile cruisers, guided missile destroyers, aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships and successfully commanded both the uss russell and the uss gettysburg. if anyone knows admiral cooper, he is a very humble man. he is very proud of the extraordinary men and women with whom he served on sea duty during his nine deployments and 13 real-world operations all around our globe. he served in a variety of positions throughout his career and he has been nominated to serve in the u.s. central

command as their deputy commander. he has been instrumental in maintaining the stability and security of the middle east region's maritime environment through navcent. his skills and experience gained in this position at navcent make him absolutely the right choice to be the deputy commander of u.s. central command, and i'm excited to see him confirmed. so, madam president, we can confirm this nomination confirm by voice vote tonight. tonight we will vote on this man -- nine deployments, 13 real-world operations. he is a warrior. i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, executive calendar number 196,

charles b. cooper ii to be vice-admiral, that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. ms. ernst: madam president, we see another one bite the dust. it's a good thing i still have that discharge petition, and we will see vice-admiral cooper on the floor once again, and i hope that my colleague will choose to support him. so, i served in the iowa army national guard, and i'm really proud of that service. so, i deployed overseas with the iowa army national guard as a

young company commander. i was the first female to command my unit. it was the same unit that my father had served in when he was a young sergeant in the iowa army national guard. he was a mechanic. at the is the salt of the earth. and i was so proud to grow up and serve alongside some really incredible iowa army national guardsmen. they worked so hard. they worked so hard on that deployment, operating iraqi freedom. now, i was gone from 2003 to 2004. my daughter, she was 3 years old when i deployed, and she was nearly 5 years old when i returned home. so, my daughter, again, she is a second lieutenant serving active

duty united states army, and she told me, it's probably been a year ago, she had read an interesting statistic about children who have mothers that served in uniform. she told me that that statistic was that 80% of the children who have mothers that wore the uniform will go into the service. she said, mom, i didn't have a choice. so, -- she did. she went into the united states army. i encouraged that, and i am so proud of her for her service. again, she's a young officer. i know she's i did pointed by what she sees today, in particular this evening. what i want the folks to know, and in a roundabout way i'm

coming to this, but all of these holds are affecting our men and women in the military. they are affecting the families of these men and women. it's like i said, 80% of the children whose mother wore the uniform are more likely to go in than those that didn't have a mother that served. but right now, today, 37% of active duty families are likely to recommend military service. 37%. they see what's going on today, and i've heard my colleague say we shouldn't be injecting politics into the military, and that president biden did that, and lloyd austin, secretary of defense, did that. but what are we doing to these military men and women?

politics are being injected right here, today. we have men and women that deserve to be promoted , to serve where their country knows they are needed, and our military families today are saying you know what -- i don't want my kid serving in the military, because they will be used as political pawns. that is dishonorable, and it's abhorrent be a. i served, colonel dan sullivan served -- it's be a hornlt. i served. colonel dan sullivan served. we understand the significance of service and being willing to lay down your life for a fellow countryman. this next gentleman i am bringing forward, we have

something in common, because this gentleman is a native of spencer, iowa. he enlisted into the iowa army national guard. okay? he enlisted in 1981. he also was salt of the earth, just like my father, who enlisted in the iowa army national guard. this gentleman is lieutenant general james j.mingus. he has been appointed to the grade of general, and nominated to the -- to be the next vice chief of staff of the army. again, he enlisted into the iowa army national guard in 1981. he graduated from win-on-a state university -- winona state

university from minnesota, and he commissioned into the army infantry. during more than 38 years of service, lieutenant general mingus commanded at every echelon from company to brigade. in addition to key staff positions in army, special operations forces, and joint units. he is a decorated war fighter, with extensive combat service. deployed in support of operating iraqi freedom and operation enduring freedom, 12 times, from 2001 to 2012. lieutenant general mingus has been awarded for tear toreious achieve -- meritorious achievement in a combat zone. sea hardworking public servant who knows the needs of our soldiers and their families. i have full confidence that he

will continue to modernize the army and maintain our highly trained and lethal force to fight and win our nation's wars. the problem is he can't do it if he's not serving in that position. i firmly believe that his qualifications, record, and character, and of course his great home state of iowa, make him the right nominee to serve in this important role. therefore, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, war hero executive calendar number 288, james j. mingus to be general and vice chief of staff of the army, that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion too reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and and the president will be

immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. ms. ernst: madam president, now i have the honor and privilege of talking about major general john w. brennan jr. on his appointment to the grade of lieutenant general in the united states army, and his nomination to be the deputy commander of u.s. africa command. major general brennan is currently serving as the special assistant to the commanding general of the united states army special operations command. this is no paper pusher, madam president, and i have heard that phrase. army special operations play a crucial role in competition and deterring great power of war. therefore, it is crucial to

ensure this deserving officer who earned this promotion is confirmed to this key national security position. the good major general is a decorated war fighter with extensive combat service in iraq, afghanistan, and in the inherent resolve campaign, having recently served as commander of combined joint task force operation inherent resolve just last year. he distinguished himself with hopper having been awarded a bronze star with v for valor. i firmly believe major general brennan's qualifications, record, and character make him exceptionally eligible for this promotion, and i look forward to confirming him to be the deputy commander of u.s. africa command, a very important position. again, v for valor.

i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, executive calendar number 130, john w. brennan jr., to be lieutenant general and deputy commander u.s. africa command, that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. and and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. ms. ernst: madam president, another great decorated officer. and we're going to keep going, because these men and women deserve to be confirmed. madam president, i am going to talk now about captain frank

schlereth on his appointment to the rank of rear admiral lower half in the united states navy. captain frank schlereth is currently searching as -- serving as defense attache in the united states embassy israel. it is crucial at this time in history to ensure this deserving officer, who earned this promotion, is recognized for serving in a key position to national security and regional stability. the captain is a two-time naval attache having served in athens, greece, and tel aviv, israel. he has extensive experience within the defense intelligence agency directorate of operations having served as chief of operations for the dia, defense attache service, and the east

asia division chief. he's a decorated war fighter with extensive combat service, having deployed to afghanistan in direct support of operation enduring freedom as a team leader in support of a sensitive collection mission. captain schlereth distinguished himself with honor, having been awarded the navy commendation medal with combat v for meritorious achievement in a combat zone during his deployment. i also believe that the captain's qualifications record and character make him exceptionally eligible for this appointment and promotion. therefore, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination, executive calendar number 103, frank schlereth iii, to be rear

admiral, lower half, that the senate vote on the nomination with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. ms. ernst: madam president, we will proceed to colonel peter g. hart. i call to the floor executive calendar number 94, colonel peter g. hart, to the grade of brigadier general. concerned hart is currently fulfilling a crucial role as an army strategist for the u.s. central command. he is a 23-year combat veteran and retired lieutenant colonel of a great -- or as a 23-year

combat veteran and retired lieutenant colonel of our great u.s. army, i am proud to stand up for this valiant officer who has answered the selfless call to service and earned this promotion in the united states army. again, i want to talk about making these individuals political pawns in the grand scheme. so the vfw recently did a survey in every state and overseas territory of their members. these are veterans. polls indicate there is a growing wedge between the veteran community and the colleagues on this side of the aisle, and, quote, political decisions that harm the troops will affect the decisions of vfw

members in upcoming elections. end quote. people don't like men and women that are used as political pawns, especially those that are sworn to be apolitical. those are the men and women that serve in uniform. there is a growing division. it will continue to grow wider. so, therefore, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination -- colonel peter g. hart to be brigadier general in the united states army under executive calendar number 94. that the senate vote on the nomination, with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action.