Unanimous Consent Requests--Executive Calendar

Floor Speech

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I am honored to be down here again with Senators Graham, Ernst, and Young. We were down on the floor 2 weeks ago, and at that time, we promised military members and their families that we had their back; that we would keep coming down to the Senate floor to try to move forward their nominations and confirmations that have been stalled.

By the way, after that session, 5 hours, we tried to move forward nominees who have nothing to do with the policy dispute that is at issue here--I think we are all in agreement on the policy dispute--we received hundreds of text messages, e-mails from military families, saying: Thank you for having our back. Somebody has our back. Somebody is speaking out for us.

So we have told them we are going to do that as we are moving into Thanksgiving. My colleagues and I, we are going to keep our word. We keep our word to our military.

Now, during that time in the last 2 weeks, we have all worked hard together. Senator Tuberville is here. Senator Lee is on the floor. We are all working hard to try and resolve this. We have ideas. Senator Graham is going to talk a little bit more about litigation, about switching the holds from the innocent members of the military to the civilians who are making the policy, that is the appropriate--to fighting this abortion policy of the Biden administration, DOD, and the NDAA.

So we are still working on that. I want to extend that to my colleagues, but the backlog grows. Right now, when Armed Services reports out the next batch of military officers, it will be 450, one-, two-, three-, and four-star generals--450. This is having a huge readiness challenge and a huge morale challenge while our troops are literally--literally--in combat, literally under fire. Some of these being held in the Middle East, in terms of their promotions, are in combat right now. The world is a very dangerous place.

Very quickly, my Democrat colleagues, the Biden administration, they seem to take a certain delight in what is happening here. I don't take a delight in this at all. I don't relish this at all. I like working with my Republican colleagues. I wish we could resolve this.

I am on the floor here more out of sadness and frustration than anger, and I really do wish, with my colleague Senator Tuberville, that we can find a way forward on this fast so we can turn to an even bigger readiness problem, and that is the Biden administration's lack of seriousness when it comes to the Department of Defense: cutting the budgets every year; the current budget shrinks the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps; the civilian woke focus of this administration. They are not serious on our national defense and military.

We need to get through that. Senator Tuberville and I actually were the ones who made the majority leader bring forward the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. So on the other side of the aisle, there wasn't a lot of seriousness on moving people either.

So I hope we can resolve this issue and focus on even the bigger readiness issue that plagues this administration right now. But there is no doubt these blanket holds are creating readiness challenges not just for flag officers; we are starting to hear of colonels and lieutenant colonels who are being stuck. So this is impacting the entire military.

Dear Members of the U.S. Senate: As President and CEO of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), one of the nation's largest military service organizations, I want to extend my appreciation for your chamber's recent work to end the promotion block facing more than 300 senior military officers--an ongoing threat to the future of the all- volunteer force and our national security.

As more positions become vacant, more families face hardships, and the strain on the readiness of our military continues, MOAA believes the time to end the promotion block has long passed. We strongly oppose Senator Tuberville's use of blanket nomination holds to protest Pentagon policies, and we urge the Senate to take advantage of your recent work and act now to end this destructive tactic before further damage is done to our military.

Talented officers on the path for future senior leadership roles are reevaluating their careers, some opting to leave uniform rather than subject their family to hardships and, frankly, insults from Senator Tuberville that demean and disrespect the sacrifices they make in defending our nation. Hearing the senator dismiss impacts to families and readiness that have been raised to him and his staff for many months is very disappointing. Future servicemembers are watching this display of political theater and are reconsidering their decision to serve. It's a potential loss of talent America cannot afford, but one our competitors love to see.

By interfering with an orderly and efficient confirmation process, Senator Tuberville is denying our military the leadership it needs to accomplish its demanding mission. And as recent events highlight, the stakes could not be higher and the need for leadership could not be greater. MOAA respects and supports the Senate's responsibility to debate policy and conduct oversight of the Department of Defense. But his blockade tactic places his own objectives over the collective will of elected colleagues and it corrupts the most fundamental principles of our democratic process. Worst of all, it puts military families in the untenable position of having to question whether the hand they raised and the oaths they take are respected by elected leaders.

With multiple conflicts abroad and significant recruiting challenges at home, our military needs its full complement of qualified, capable men and women at the helm. It's clear some damage has already been done, but we urge the Senate to find a way to act now, end this tactic, and ensure it is never used again before permanent damage is done to our military members and families.

MOAA stands ready to support your work on behalf of all who serve, across all ranks and all uniformed services. We thank you for your continued efforts on behalf of the all-volunteer force and look forward to you taking immediate actions to help restore the important and necessary trust between the military community and our elected leaders. Very Respectfully, Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), MOAA President and CEO. ______ VFW, Washington, DC, September 18, 2023. Hon. Tommy Tuberville, Washington, DC.

Dear Senator Tuberville: On behalf of the 1.5 million members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) and its Auxiliary, I write to call on you to lift your hold on the routine promotion of U.S. military general and flag officers. One of the VFW's top national security priorities is preserving the all-volunteer force. At a time of military recruiting challenges, the instability caused by this hold will have far-reaching consequences for the brave Americans who volunteer to serve in today's military and those who may consider future military service. The VFW called on the Senate to resolve this matter earlier this summer and now we call on you directly to end this hold before we set the very dangerous precedent of harming American service members as leverage in Washington political battles.

The VFW recently conducted a survey in which our members, including veterans in Alabama, overwhelmingly voiced their opinions on this matter. VFW members were clear that political debates in Washington should be handled among civilian political leaders. Moreover, VFW members strongly conveyed that politicians should not be able to harm the troops over political disputes and that political decisions that harm the troops would affect the way they would vote in upcoming elections.

The VFW has already heard from current service members and military families on the far-reaching effects your hold has had on both the mission and the lives of those who choose military service as a career. Preservation of the all- volunteer force demands a non-partisan and apolitical uniformed military capable of closing with and destroying our nation's enemies at the direction of its duly elected and appointed civilian leaders. When policy disputes emerge among these civilian leaders, the VFW cannot allow politicians to set the precedent of harming uniformed service members to make a point.

The world is still a dangerous place and brave Americans remain stationed around the world, intent on keeping these dangers far from our shores. This is why the VFW is calling on you to stop this dangerous game. Games may belong on the football field, but not in the halls of the U.S. Senate. Lift the hold so the Senate may do its job by promoting our uniformed military leaders. Sincerely, Ryan M. Gallucci, Executive Director, VFW Washington Office. ______ The American Legion, Washington, DC, November 8, 2023. Hon. Chuck Schumer, Washington, DC. Hon. Mitch McConnell, Washington, DC.

Dear Senate Leadership: On behalf of our 1.6 million dues- paying members, The American Legion respectfully requests your timely attention to the hundreds of U.S. military vacancies awaiting confirmation. Your leadership and the resolve of your conferences to come together and end this blockade is vital to American national security and to preserving the lives of our men and women in uniform. Failure to find a bipartisan solution to the continued political chess risks the lives of our servicemembers and the safety of our nation.

Since 1919, The American Legion has emphasized the importance of a strong national defense. A well-funded, well- equipped, and well-trained military plays a vital role in safeguarding the principles our nation holds dear. As U.S. troops are targeted in the Middle East and global tensions are on the rise, it is imperative leadership vacancies within our military are filled now! Our allies and adversaries are watching closely; inaction risks innumerable consequences.

The personal toll of confirmation purgatory extends far beyond uniformed candidates with uncertain promotions. U.S. servicemembers may pay the ultimate price if the perception of chaos continues to create opportunity for our adversaries. As we've seen in the past month alone, the Pentagon has reported more than 38 attacks against U.S. troops in the Middle East. While politicians continue to play games and use our servicemembers as pawns, their lives remain in harm's way and could be left paying the ultimate price.

The American Legion urges both conferences to come together to end the inaction holding our armed forces hostage. Your leadership is vital to protect our servicemembers, national security, and our country. For God & Country, Daniel J. Seehafer, National Commander.

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Finally, tonight we are going to bring up some more members. I hope my colleagues don't object. When they are going to talk, I am sure they are going to talk about the Biden policy, which we all disagree with. Four Senators on the floor who were on the floor 2 weeks ago, we have a lot in common, but two big things are strongly pro-life and strongly pro-military because we are veterans. We have served. We know what sacrifice means, and we want to make sure we are protecting our military members and their families. That is a core principle, certainly, of Republicans, and we need to do that.

What I am hopeful for--hearing from my colleagues on the floor--also questions that we didn't hear from last week. My colleague from Alabama said many times that if you bring up nominees one by one, he would be fine with it. On September 6, he said: I am not holding up nominees from being approved. They can bring them to the floor one at a time, and I won't block them.

Well, that is what we are doing.

By the way, this is regular order. We did some research. There has only been two times in the last half century where there was a recorded vote on a brigadier general--twice. We are doing more than regular order here by moving these individually.

And, finally, this is the most important question I think we all think is imperative; it needs to be answered for our military members: Why punish patriotic military members over a policy dispute they have nothing to do with and can't fix? Why punish people who have seriously sacrificed for America--more than probably anyone else on the floor here, certainly--over a policy dispute they had nothing to do with? Why punish their families and the war heroes supporting these families you will hear about tonight who have served our country so faithfully, when they have nothing to do with the dispute on the floor? Why punish some of the most combat-experienced members of the military whom we need on the field now--one of the most dangerous times in the last 70 years-- when they have nothing to do with this dispute?

So I was home Veterans Day in Alaska. My State has more veterans per capita than any other State in the country--very patriotic citizens. The events I went to, young Alaskans, old Alaskans really honor our veterans. Whenever I am at a ceremony and I am speaking, I always call out our Vietnam vets for special recognition because what happened to them should never happen again to any military members.

What happened to them? There were huge policy disputes over the Vietnam war at the Pentagon level, but people took it out on the troops. People took it out on the troops. They punished the troops over a policy dispute these troops had nothing to do with. They were serving honorably.

Americans always said, We will never do that again. Well, guess what? It is happening again. Troops are being punished. Families are being punished over something they have nothing to do with.

So my hope tonight is we get my colleague to lift the blanket hold and not object to these individual noms. But it is also important to understand what a blanket hold is. It is about individuals. Who are these heroes? Who is being punished? How have they served their country? How have they sacrificed?

We are going to hear a little bit about that, I hope. I think Americans who are watching will be proud when they hear about these great patriots--for those listening--but also might make you sad or frustrated or even angry that we are not keeping faith with these faithful patriots.

I am now going to turn the floor to my colleague Senator Ernst.

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Heroes.

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Heroes.

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I want to begin by thanking Senator Ernst, my good colleague--joint operations here--giving voice to these great Americans.

Now, look, if you are watching--I know it is almost 2:30 in the morning--but you are watching your American system. You have got to be proud. I am so proud. These are great Americans. These are the best of what we have. They are heroes, and their families are heroic.

And, look, a core principle as Republicans that distinguishes us, in my view, from the other side is our serious focus on national security, readiness, a strong military, and, yes, taking care of our military and their families. That is what we stand for. And it just makes me proud to listen to who we have up for confirmation to be a one-, two-, three- , or four-star General. We need them.

Senator Graham said: Hey, we are coming on to the holidays. It is true. I had two Thanksgivings where I was deployed overseas, and it is not easy, right? You are missing your family. You are out there protecting your country. You don't think many people are even thinking of you when the rest of the country is celebrating and you are doing your duty.

So what we said 2 weeks ago is we are not--we will have your back. If you are a military member who is being held up right now, we will have your back. And that is what we are doing.

Like I said, I don't relish this. I didn't relish it 2 weeks ago. Kind of down here, as I mentioned, more in sadness and frustration than anger. But I also come from a State that is incredibly patriotic-- Alaska--more veterans per capita than any State in the country. And they expect this of their Senators. Stand up for our men and women in uniform and don't punish the military for something they have nothing to do with.

Every one of those people Senator Ernst talked about who we were going to try to confirm tonight have nothing to do with the dispute that we are all in agreement--every Senator on the floor right now is in agreement.

I have been working with Senator Tuberville for months together to try to reverse this policy of the Biden administration. I agree 100 percent it violates the Hyde amendment. It violates the rule of law. So I want to keep working with Senator Tuberville and others on ways to reverse that.

But what we can't do, what we shouldn't do, but what is happening right now is we are punishing those who have nothing to do with it. And why punish patriotic military members over a dispute that they have no ability to fix and they didn't cause? Go after the civilians. Let's do it. I am taking them hostage in terms of holding them. They have the power. But why punish these war heroes who have served our country so faithfully? Why single out the Americans?

You know, we have all kinds of Federal workers, but there are very few Federal workers who sign a blank check with their life. That is all the people Senator Ernst read. They sign a blank check with their life, saying: All right.

You know, less than 1 percent of our great Nation's population does this--less than 1 percent. And nobody has told me--I mean, Senator Lee had a lot to say tonight. I agree with 99 percent of it, in terms of his talk about the Constitution and who has the ability to make laws. I couldn't agree more. But no one has come out and said: But here is why we are going to punish those people Senator Ernst just read about.

I don't think we should be doing that. I think we should be giving them a voice, and that is what we have been trying to do.

So, as I mentioned, one of my goals tonight that I mentioned in my remarks was to bring up these nominees one by one, try to get them cleared, as Senator Tuberville mentioned. But it was--he had mentioned he was fine with a while ago.

By the way, this is regular order. We did some research. There have only been two Brigadier Generals confirmed by a recorded vote in the last half-century, OK? Twice that has happened in the last half-century. So the regular order is actually--you do it by voice vote and en bloc.

What we are offering is, hey, we will do it by voice vote individually, every one. We will be down here for all 450. Senator Ernst and I would stay here all weekend to do that. But it is very clear from my colleagues that that is not going to happen.

Look, to be honest, if I were blocking all these military heroes, I wouldn't want their bios being read on the floor, but we are going to do that, because here is the other thing about this: There are a lot of emails and texts, and a lot of people are tweeting about this, but guess who can't go out and have a press conference on this. The military members. It is not their job.

Finally, one other issue--and then I am going to start talking about the people we are going to bring up--is that we really have to think about this issue as a strategic risk to the force. We have 450 officers, one-, two-, three-, and four-star Generals.

Yes, I know a little bit about the military, having served for 30 years. The system is kind of stymied, so even the ranks below one, two, and three star are starting to kind of get blocked. So I am not saying that Senator Tuberville has a hold on those, but it is impacting those ranks as well.

Where I am very nervous, because I talk to a lot of my peers in the military, is that, you know, you work 30 years, you do deployments, you sacrifice--a big sacrifice for your families. These great men and women have options, and at a certain point, they time out in terms of their ability to move up or they have to get out. So if we start to lose a generation of our best, most combat-capable military officers over this, especially during this very dangerous time, that is going to be a huge strategic national security mistake.

So what I want to do, similar to Senator Ernst's focus, is bring to the floor and to the attention of the American people the people we were going to try to get confirmed tonight. I know they are going to be objected to, so, like Senator Ernst, I am going to talk about them because, again, I think the American people need to know this. The American people should take pride in these people because they are great patriots. And, remember, less than 1 percent join the military. I don't know what the percentage is that gets to flag officer rank, general officer or Admiral, but it is the best--not just the best in America but the best in the world, and we need them. We need them.

This dispute that is happening right now--again, I fully agree the Biden administration launched this. We are fighting it. But we need these people confirmed. Let's go after the confirmations of the civilians who actually are in charge of the policy. We have that option, too.

So one of the first nominees I was going to bring forward is on Calendar No. 95. That is Col. Robert Weiler. He is being promoted to Brigadier General of the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a Colonel right now-- 28 years--command of the 5th Marine Regiment.

I used to be in that regiment. That is the most storied infantry regiment in the Marine Corps.

He has deployed, I think, seven times to Iraq and Afghanistan. Imagine that family's sacrifice. He received a Silver Star for bravery, gallantry, and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as a commanding officer of Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 5th Marine Regiment.

I am going to read that citation. There are not many Silver Star recipients in America. Here is one right now who could be confirmed to Brigadier General. He has earned it. And he is no ``woke'' military member; he is a warrior.

Here is his citation for the Silver Star. It is one of the highest awards for combat valor that we have.

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Robert S. Weiler, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as Commanding Officer, Weapons Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marines, FIRST Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force . . . in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II from 6 to 10 April 2004. On 6 April, Captain Weiler led elements of Weapons Company against an enemy force that was attempting to isolate and destroy a squad-sized element of Echo Company.

Another unit, an adjacent Marine Corps unit.

As the column moved east along Route Nova, they were ambushed by enemy forces. Despite the barrage of intense enemy fire, Captain Weiler calmly directed the tactical employment of the unit, leading to the relief of the embattled squad.

OK. Saving American lives. Saving the lives of other marines. That is what this is. And then he led the destruction of the besieging enemy, so he killed the bad guys.

On 7 April, he led the company on a mission to reinforce [another Marine Corps] unit in contact. As they moved northeast along Route Apple, the column encountered heavy rocket-propelled grenade and automatic weapons fire. During the ensuing three-hour firefight--

Think about that, America. We have been on the floor for 3 hours. These guys were in an intense firefight for 3 hours--

he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to direct [his] unit's counterattack, personally leading squads as they assaulted enemy firing positions. His courage and leadership were further displayed during Operation BUG HUNT. Heavily engaged by enemy forces over a four-hour period--

Four hours; combat--

Captain Weiler continued to fearlessly lead Marines as they destroyed a tenacious enemy. By his bold leadership, wise judgment, and complete dedication to duty, Captain Weiler reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

Weiler, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as Commanding Officer, Weapons Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marines, FIRST Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II from 6 to 10 April 2004. On 6 April, Captain Weiler led elements of Weapons Company against an enemy force that was attempting to isolate and destroy a squad-sized element of Echo Company. As the column moved east along Route Nova, they were ambushed by enemy forces. Despite the barrage of intense enemy fire, Captain Weiler calmly directed the tactical employment of the unit, leading to relief of the embattled squad and the destruction of the besieging enemy. On 7th April, he led the company on a mission to reinforce a unit in contact. As they moved northeast along Route Apple, the column encountered heavy rocket-propelled grenade and automatic weapons fire. During the ensuing three-hour firefight, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to direct the unit's counterattack, personally leading squads as they assaulted enemy firing positions. His courage and leadership were further displayed during Operation BUG HUNT. Heavily engaged by enemy forces over a four-hour period, Captain Weiler continued to fearlessly lead Marines as they destroyed a tenacious enemy. By his bold leadership, wise judgment, and complete dedication to duty, Captain Weiler reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

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Mr. SULLIVAN. It doesn't mention it here, but do you know what else he received during that firefight--two firefights? The Purple Heart. So he was wounded in action by the enemy. Then, later, several months later, he received a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with combat distinguishing device for heroic achievement in combat.

He took decisive action directing fires of his raid force, quickly gaining fire superiority and suppressing the enemy. Although dazed by a blast from a mortar round, he continued to lead and direct his team, which led to the capture of all five insurgents on the target raid list.

That is another combat medal he won.

So we were going to bring him up for promotion today to Brigadier General, a complete American war hero, but unfortunately Colonel Weiler's promotion to Brigadier General is being blocked.

By the way, he had nothing to do with the policy and dispute that we all agree on, that we have to overturn that. Nothing to do with it. Nothing. When he gets promoted to Brigadier General, he won't have any ability to fix it. This is a war hero punished for an issue he has nothing to do with.

OK. Calendar No. 93. This is for Brigadier General Ronald Ragin--yes, that is how you pronounce it; it is not spelled that same way--to be Major General. He is in the U.S. Army. Like Senator Ernst, who is an expert in Special Operations forces, this General is an expert in Special Operations forces.

Most recently, he is serving as commanding general, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. His command assignments: troop commander, combat sports squadron, 11th Armored Calvary Regiment; company commander, 225th Forward Support Battalion, 25th Infantry Division; battalion commander, Group Support Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group-Airborne; squadron commander support, 1st Special Forces Operations Detachment, Delta Force. OK. You are not even supposed to say that, I don't think. Are you? OK. Delta Force, the most elite Special Operations force. It is not even supposed to be talked about. A Delta Force commander.

This guy is unbelievable, his record. So he is an expert in Special Operations forces, a Delta Force commander, brigade commander for Sustainment Brigade, numerous deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, Airborne, 7th Special Forces Group, U.S. Special Operations Command, and we are trying to move him from a one-star to a two-star General.

He is an American hero who, by the way, has nothing to do with the dispute. He is being punished--not being promoted, being punished over something he has nothing to do with. That is a great American hero right there.

Let's look at another one here we are going to bring up, another U.S. Army Brigadier General to move to the grade of Major General. That is two-star. This is Brigadier General Lance G. Curtis. Again, another Airborne platoon; served at all levels of command--82nd Airborne, 101st Airborne; numerous deployments; executive officer; deputy commander for U.S. Forces Afghanistan in Kabul during Operation Enduring Freedom; battalion commander of the 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, GA, and at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, during OEF; commander for Special Forces Command, United States Special Operations Command; and the executive officer of the commander of Army Personnel; finally, deputy director of headquarters in the U.S. Army, G-4.

Again, I mean, think about this. This is decades of service--decades. These are great patriots, and they are being punished over an issue they have nothing to do with and can't fix.

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Mr. SULLIVAN. No. I am getting through--this is really important for me to make sure the American people hear about these warriors, so I am prioritizing--

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Mr. SULLIVAN. No, I won't.

Mr. President, the next hero that we are trying to confirm is BG Michelle Donahue to be Major General of the U.S. Army. With 26 years of service, currently, Michelle Donahue is a Brigadier General. She has served in the 1st Infantry Division in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Her combat tours include deployments to Jordan with the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion; a deployment to Iraq; a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014 as the squadron commander for the Regimental Support Squadron.

Brigadier General Donahue has served as special assistant to the 37th Chief of Staff of the Army and to the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, operational command and command at the highest levels with the Chief of Staff of the Army in terms of being a special assistant there and trying to get promoted from Brigadier General to Major General-- that is a two-star General--and she is being blocked over something that she has nothing to do with. Again, we need these warriors on the field.

Speaking of warriors, this is another nominee who has made the grade of Major General, that is a two-star General. He is Brig. Gen. Thomas Harrell. He most recently served as the director for the Defense Health Network and as the commander of the 59th Medical Wing.

Now, this is also really important. You don't hear about this element of our military that much. The leaders who lead the medical units are so important. Brigadier General Harrell has commanded a squadron level, a DOD hospital, an Air Force medical center. He previously served as the commander of the Air Force Medical Readiness Agency, as the Defense Health Agency Headquarters' deputy director of medical operations of the Air Force, as the deputy director of medical services in the entire U.S. Air Force, and as the subunified Alaskan Command surgeon general at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. It is a really important job in my State.

He also received an Air Medal for valor. Let me read that:

Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Harrell contributed to national security objectives by flying missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. These flights were accomplished in the face of enemy threats to include small-arms fire, anti- aircraft artillery, and surface-to-air missiles.

Think about that. That is a medical officer taking incoming enemy fire to go save lives. That is a hero.

His superior ability in the presence of perilous and dangerous conditions was manifested in the performance of medical observers in addition to addressing the in-flight health needs of the crew and combatants, culminating in the safe and timely delivery of cargo and combat troops.

That is a war hero right there. Unfortunately, if we move to get that Brigadier General promoted to Major General tonight, it looks like it is probably not going to happen.

We are also looking at Brig. Gen. Jeannine Ryder to be a Major General in the U.S. Air Force. She is Calendar No. 106. Jeannine Ryder, again, is part of the Air Force medical agency units and chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps.

OK. Again, these are really, really important jobs that we need.

Again, this is somebody in a very competitive world who has moved all the way up the ranks from a one- to two-star General. She has been involved in the execution of medical readiness programs, expeditionary medical capabilities, and the direct support and implementation of policy, plans, and programs for healthcare operations of the Air Force Medical Service to more than 44,000 U.S. Air Force personnel at 76 military treatment facilities. That is unbelievable. Brigadier General Ryder has commanded at the flight, squadron, and group levels in both deployed and in garrison environments.

Prior to her most recent assignment, Brigadier General Ryder was the commander of the 59th Medical Wing, market director of the San Antonio Military Health System, Joint Base San Antonio, Lackland, TX.

She is very deserving of a promotion and can't be promoted over something she has nothing to do with--nothing. And if she got promoted, she wouldn't be involved in fixing it either.

You know, when we came down here 2 weeks ago, it kind of struck me because we have 450 officers right now, and we are standing with them. We are standing with them. We are pro-life Senators who are standing with them. I think we have emphasized that enough, but we will emphasize it again. One of the things that struck me 2 weeks ago was how many one- and two- and three-star Admirals with very significant deployment experience, particularly on submarines, are now being blocked.

As anyone who knows about our challenges in the Indo-Pacific theater, Xi Jinping, who was visiting America--I haven't gotten a read out of the President's meeting, but I am worried that they are weak on them and that they are weak on the military.

Again, what I want to do with my colleagues here on the floor is actually get through this issue and turn to the bigger readiness problem, which is the weakness of the Biden administration. But where we don't have weakness is in submarines. We need more submarines, but we have the best commanders in the world. Xi Jinping is scared to death of the American sub fleet--scared to death. They know if they try to invade Taiwan--and we have subs in the Taiwan Strait--we will take out their whole invasion force. But we need good commanders.

And 2 weeks ago, there were six sub commanders who were objected to-- six. As I mentioned then, I guarantee you the Chinese Communist Party's military apparatus is going, like: I can't believe our luck with the thing we are so frightened of.

And you can't produce a sub commander overnight. It takes 30, 40 years.

So we have some Navy officers here. This is Calendar No. 234, VADM Jeffrey Hughes. He is a two-star Admiral to be Vice Admiral. His naval career is unbelievable.

For 34 years, he served as a detachment officer in charge headed tours of a helicopter anti-submarine squadron where he deployed on the USS Carr, the USS Elrod, the USS John Hancock, supporting strike group deployments with the USS America, which is an aircraft carrier, and the USS John F. Kennedy, another aircraft carrier.

He is a pilot who hunts subs. As an MH-60 helo pilot, he was named the Pilot of the Year and was the corecipient of the Commanding Officer's Helmsman Award for calendar year 1993--so the best of his class. He served as executive officer and the 14th commanding officer of the Fighting Vipers. He was the Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing commander, the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and a recipient of the Navy and Marine Corps Association--peer-selected--Leadership Award.

This is a great Navy aviator leader. As a flag officer, Admiral Hughes has served as commander of Navy Recruiting Command, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Two, and, most recently, deputy chief of Naval Personnel/commander, Navy Personnel Command. He is an incredible Navy leader.

We need more Navy officers confirmed. He is being blocked over an issue he has nothing to do with. We would like to move him on regular order tonight. Regular order would be an individual vote, and we are ready to take it. Unfortunately, it is going to be blocked. So that is not good for our national security. As I mentioned, the Biden administration's budget right now shrinks the Navy. That is horrible. But we, at least, need to get our great Navy officers on the ships in the command.

The next one we are looking at is a Brigadier General to be a Major General in the U.S. Air Force. He is a Brigadier General by the name of Curtis R. Bass. He was Calendar No. 110. Again, boy, look at this guy's resume. Unbelievable. He was the senior executive officer of the 22nd Air Force Chief of Staff, the commander of the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System Combat Flying Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

By the way, our military members in the Middle East right now are taking fire. They are in combat. Some of the officers who are being blocked--I have talked to some of them in the Middle East, whose promotions are being blocked, are taking fire from the enemy. What? You don't think they are bitter right now? I know they are bitter. They are taking fire from the enemy. One-star Generals, Colonels--I know this; I have talked to them--are being blocked over something they have nothing to do with. They are risking their lives right now. Right now. That is a fact.

So he is another one of the Air Force aviation intel systems--one of the best--who just recently served as deputy commander of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. He is a tremendous operator who is being blocked over something he has nothing to do with and has no ability to fix.

These are apolitical members, right? By the way, of this blanket hold--we have done the research--we have never had a blanket hold for this long, of this duration, and with this many officers in the history of the United States of America.

The next officer we are going to bring forward is Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason T. Hinds to, again, be promoted to Major General, U.S. Air Force officer. Boy, oh, boy. Look at this guy's background. He has flown all kinds of positions, including First Fighter Wing, commander; F-22 Fighter Squadron, commander; F-22 instructor pilot and flight examiner; F-15C instructor and weapons officer. I think he has over 4,000--4,000--hours of flying. I mean, this is probably one of the best pilots in the world. He previously served as the director of Plans, Programs, and Analyses at the U.S. Air Force in Europe and Air Forces in Africa and at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

He has been selected to be a two-star General from a one-star, which is really hard to do--really hard to do. Unfortunately, we can't get him confirmed despite the fact that he has nothing to do with the policy that we all want to fix. Everyone here wants to fix that policy, but he has nothing to do with it, and he is being punished for this.

There are a lot of Air Force officers. Boy, are these men and women impressive. This is Brig. Gen. Charles D. Bolton to be Major General of the U.S. Air Force. Brigadier General Bolton most recently served as the U.S. Transportation Command Global Operations Center chief at Scott Air Force Base. For 29 years, he has commanded in the U.S. Air Force, including, most recently, the 386th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron in southwest Asia and the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing.

Prior to his current assignment, he was the deputy director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base.

He is a master navigator with almost 3,000 hours in a C-130E and a C- 130H. He is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, with multiple tours to Iraq, Afghanistan, Inherent Resolve, Iraqi Freedom--multiple tours.

By the way, Senator Ernst and I are not even talking about it, but think about the families behind all of these officers and all of these deployments and their children and how much they have sacrificed. That is something else we need to think about. It is not just the men and women in the military wearing the uniform. It is their families, and this is really negatively impacting the families as well.

As Senator Ernst has said, they don't have a voice. We are trying to give them a voice. We are trying to say: We are remembering. We are remembering. We have your back. We are down here again. We told you we would be down here again, and we are down here again.

The next one is another Air Force one-star General to be Major General. This is John R. Edwards. He was on Calendar No. 110.

He most recently served as the director for strategic capabilities policy on the National Security Council. He has a 28-year military career. Get this, he has commanded the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, the 479th Flying Training Group at Pensacola Naval Air Station, and the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

He has served on the joint staff at the J-8. Prior to his current assignment, he was the director of nuclear enterprise, Defense Threat Reduction Agency--just amazing experience.

He is a master combat systems officer with over 2,500 flight hours, including 237 combat hours in Operations Allied Force and Enduring Freedom.

He also has a Valor Award. Let me read that. It is an Air Medal for combat action at the onset of Operation Anaconda. That was the military operation in Afghanistan. His aircraft extended its alert interdiction time over the battlefield to support coalition ground units, providing crucial firepower for American troops in contact.

What does that mean? That means we had troops who were on the ground in combat, and he came in with air power to suppress the enemy, saving American lives. His crew then released 45 MK-82 gravity bombs, destroying the enemy troops that were threatening friendly American ground units.

During another mission, his attack aircraft struck nine targets using a complex combination of joint direct attack emissions, and all targets were destroyed, saving countless American ground forces.

That is an American hero right there. I just read his Air Medal combat citation--an American hero--and his career right now is being punished for something he had nothing to do with.

We have another one, a Brigadier General in the Air Force, Sean Choquette to be Major General. He has 33 years in the U.S. military, 2,800 hours flying, 300 deployed combat hours flying in terms of Uphold Democracy, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Inherent Resolve.

He has commanded at the company squadron and wing levels. That is literally every level of command in the Air Force. This is a great leader, a great leader.

Again, he was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal in terms of combat operations in Inherent Resolve, Deliberate Resolve, and Freedom's Sentinel. He enabled the United States and 17 coalition nations over the time he was in command to deliver 20,000 strike sorties, 39,000 flight hours, and employ and deliver over 8,000 weapons.

This is a warrior whom we need right now, who is on the bench. He can't get confirmed through no fault of his own on anything.

The next officer we were looking at trying to promote was Maj. Gen. Greg Masiello to be Lieutenant General--a three-star General. He was most recently the military deputy to the Under Secretary for Policy at the Pentagon. And, if confirmed, the Agency that he would lead focuses on operations all over the globe.

Prior to his current position, he was the executive officer for the Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault and Special Missions Programs at Naval Air Systems Command, where he previously served as NAVAIR's commander for logistics and industrial operations.

He understands the systems in our Pentagon. He is to be promoted to three-star General. We are here talking about his service.

The next officer that we were going to try and promote through regular order, by the way, and by individual voice vote--I still haven't heard why that is not acceptable--was Rear Admiral Jeffrey Jablon to be a Vice Admiral, a three-star Admiral.

Again, when you look at Admiral Jablon's career, he is one of the ones that I was talking about recently with incredible experience as a submarine commander--incredible.

He was a fleet naval submarine warfare strategist at U.S. Special Operations Command, commander of the Submarine Development Squadron 12, deputy commander for training, Naval Submarine School, and prospective commanding officer instructor.

Remember, these are nuclear-powered subs, the most advanced warfighting machines in the world. The Chinese are scared to death of them. But you cannot just grab an Ensign or Lieutenant and say: Hey, go command a nuclear sub.

It takes decades--decades--to train somebody on a nuclear sub.

He has commanded at all levels in terms of the submarine force, and we are trying to get him promoted to three-star Admiral.

Again, this is a huge strategic advantage we have over China, our submarine force. Yet so many of these Admirals are being blocked. They are being blocked.

I have a few more--actually, we have a lot more. It is coming on 3 a.m. I really appreciate my colleagues being here. But we are trying to give voice--trying to give voice--to these heroes whom we need on the field of battle right now.

The next one we were trying to get confirmed tonight was VADM William J. Houston to be an Admiral, to be a four-star Admiral. He was on Calendar No. 202.

Again, this officer's submarine experience is unbelievable. He had many key positions, including division officer of the USS Phoenix, which is a sub; engineer officer aboard the USS Hampton, which is a submarine; the executive officer aboard the USS Tennessee, which is a strategic ballistic missile sub.

He has commanded and was commodore of Submarine Squadron 20, out of Kings Bay, GA. He also served as the flag lieutenant for the commander, Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet; Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board, special assistant to the Director of Naval Reactors; and the deputy commander for Sub Squadron 20, among other roles.

Again, this is a four-star Admiral. I think he has 35 years of experience with submarines--the weapons system that Xi Jinping has nightmares about--and we are keeping him on the bench over an issue he has nothing to do with--nothing. That is the whole thing.

We want to solve this issue. We are pro-life Senators. We are pro- military Senators. And these men and women--every American, I hope you are listening. I know it is 3 in the morning. We are here to give them voice. But if you are an American and you read about Admiral Houston's background, think about what his family has gone through. Think about the options he has in his world.

We don't want him to leave. We don't want any of these people to leave. We need them. This is the most combat-experienced group of general officers probably since World War II.

Let me turn to another branch, the U.S. Army. This is MG Anthony Hale to be Lieutenant General Hale.

Major General Hale is an expert in Army intelligence--Army intelligence. He has served at U.S. Special Operations Command. He currently is the deputy chief of staff of the G-2 for the entire U.S. Army. The G-2 is the group in the military in charge of intelligence.

His deployments, I think--I am reading his bio here--six or seven deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan. He has gone all the way up the chain in the U.S. military--Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq--several times. He is the top intel officer for the U.S. Army--top intel officer for the U.S. Army--and his career is on hold right now, like 450 others.

But, again, we could confirm them tonight. This is regular order, by the way--regular order. This is, actually, more than regular order. The Senate has only done this twice--rollcall votes--in 50 years, for one- or two-star officers.

The next officer we were looking to promote is MG Thomas James. He is a two-star General to Lieutenant General. We were looking to move him forward. He is an expert in space. He was supposed to be the deputy commander of U.S. Space Command, and, boy, do we need that. That is a whole other warfare element that people don't talk about.

He also has a tremendous background in Special Forces and several deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. His family sacrificed. He was the deputy commander for Joint Functional Component Command for Space, leader of the 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne)--Airborne--and a space expert.

Again, we are trying to make sure he knows--Major General James, of the U.S. Army, to be deputy commander of U.S. Space Command. We are thanking you, General, and your family. We are thanking you for your service, General, and your family. We are trying to move your promotion, which was hard to get, well-deserved. We are trying to move that forward.

We are trying to fix the policy that we all don't like here on the Hyde amendment issues. There are a lot of ways of trying to do that, but we think punishing General James and his family, in my view, doesn't make any sense.

Senator Lee mentioned Senator Tuberville has the right to do it. I agree with that. He does. But I don't agree with the tactic.

Mr. President, the next officer we are looking to promote was Major General Spain, U.S. Air Force, to be Lieutenant General, three-star General. He is to be the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for the entire U.S. Air Force. That is a huge job.

He has got over 30 years of military service. He is a pilot. He has served as a weapons officer for the 58th Fighter Squadron. He led the Nation's first Operation Noble Eagle deployment to the National Capital Region. He has numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan. He served as the 53rd Wing commander, the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. He has led the operations for the J3--that is military operations--for U.S. European Command during Afghanistan and the J3 at USEUCOM in response to Russian aggression in support of Ukraine, up to and through the invasion.

He was a command pilot with more than 2,300 hours in multiple aircraft, primarily the F-15C and F-22. An incredible warrior there, incredible warrior. Combat sorties. Here is an Air Achievement Medal, Legion of Merit. Senator Ernst was talking a lot about Legion of Merit.

Skilled fleet. Led a rotation force of over 10,000 coalition personnel, 50 combat aircraft. His combat team executed over 5,600 sorties in 52,000 flying hours, offloaded nearly 2 million pounds of fuel, collected intelligence on 172,000 targets, supported 3,800 strikes against the Islamic State and Syria in Iraq.

You don't think we need him now? We are bombing terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria as we speak. That is exactly the kind of officer we need in the field fighting, not on the bench.

Mr. President, the next one we are looking at was Col. Paul Sellars to be a Brigadier General. Colonel Sellars, like a lot of the people we have spoken about tonight, has a very significant background in Special Operations. He has deployed numerous times to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, with Special Forces operations. He has also conducted exercises in the INDOPACOM region, Philippines, Malaysia. And he has served with the J3 for Special Operations Detachment in the Pacific.

Again, Paul Sellars, Colonel, to be Brigadier General--incredible background--and, right now, he can't get promoted over something that he has no involvement with. So we are giving him voice.

The next one, Mr. President, is BG Jacqueline Brown to be the grade of Major General. Jacqueline Brown is currently serving as the Director of Operations, Networks, and Space and Information Systems--so the G-6, the group that is bringing in all the communications. Over 30 years of service in the U.S. Army. She served as executive officer, Army chief information officer, and the plans and strategy division chief of the Army G-6.

She, like everybody else, has deployed to Afghanistan, to Iraq. She has been a chief of operations and plans for the G-6 for the Army's 3rd Corps at Fort Hood and has served at different levels in her career, starting in the 6th Signal Battalion, Fort Richardson, AK, and later battalion signal officer in the 106th Military Intelligence Battalion.

I was talking about how medical units are so important, but so are the information systems, comms systems, space systems. And BG Jacqueline Brown is one who has an amazing career. We are trying to get her promoted to two-star, and I hope we can do that soon.

Just a couple more, Mr. President. This one should be known to everybody here: Col. Matthew Good, Col. Matthew Good. He is a great marine. Many of you know him because he served as the top marine liaison to the U.S. Senate recently, but he has an incredible bio. He knows many legislators. Going on 30 years as an infantry officer. He served as a faculty member at Marine Command and Staff; multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and has moved up the chain in the Marine Corps like a good Marine infantry officer.

He served as a platoon commander, a rifle company commander, a weapons company executive officer, a rifle company commander, a company operations officer, and deployed, like I said, numerous times to Iraq and Afghanistan. And everybody who knows him knows what a great leader he is--measured, great advice. I relied on Colonel Good's advice many, many times over the last several years when he was here as the lead Senate liaison. Just a fantastic guy, and so many of us know him; and, right now, he cannot get promoted to Brigadier General. He should be but can't be.

Mr. President, the next officer we were trying to promote tonight was BG Richard Appelhans, who recently served as commander of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence at Fort Huachuca. So, again, this is a top army officer. He deployed several times: Korea, Kuwait, Germany, the Netherlands, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq. Geez, that is like seven deployments right there. Think about his family.

He began his career as an armor officer, and then he transitioned to military intelligence. He has served in a variety of command and staff assignments and now is trying to get promoted to two-star General. We think he should be. He has nothing to do with the current dispute-- nothing--and no ability to fix it.

I haven't heard one reason why putting a hold on 450 apolitical military officers who are being punished--I just--I don't understand it.

Mr. President, another marine Colonel to be promoted to Brigadier General--infantry officer who has led and served at the highest levels of every infantry unit he has commanded: forward observer, guns platoon commander, fire direction officer, artillery. He is actually an artillery officer. 26th MEU, Marine Expeditionary Unit. Deployed all over the world, extensive experience in the INDOPACOM region, serving with 12th Marines during Operation Enduring Freedom. The 12th Marines is a Marine artillery unit. Completed several deployments to Iraq, awarded the Combat Action Ribbon.

Again, a great marine, great hero, a Colonel to a Brigadier General. And his promotion is being stalled.

Let's do another Brigadier General. Colonel to Brigadier General, U.S. Marine Corps. This is Adolfo Garcia.

Same thing, Mr. President: Multiple deployments. Iraq, Afghanistan, 12th Marines. He is also an artillery officer. He served on the Joint Staff, so he has a lot of knowledge at the big level of the Pentagon and as a military secretary to the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps. So really knows his combat issues and higher-level Marine Corps issues--exactly the kind of officer you want--going from Colonel to Brigadier General. He has earned it, 30 years in. Again, not involved in this dispute.

So my final one--we have a number more, but it is almost 3:30, and I think our attempts at trying to get these officers promoted were not successful. Hopefully, we can get through this. I am hoping--I don't think anyone in the Senate thinks it is good to punish 450 officers over something that they have no control over.

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Mr. SULLIVAN. I am going to finish this final one, and then I will.

This is Col. Trevor Hall, 33 years in the Marine Corps. He served as both enlisted and--a military enlisted and officer. His command experience includes rifle and weapons platoon commander, 3rd Battalion 6th Marines; multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He served with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. He served in support of Operation Desert Thunder, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Unified Protector--that is Libya. Combat marine moving from Colonel to Brigadier General.

That is one more that we would want to promote tonight. We have several others, Mr. President. It is 3:30. I am hoping that, my colleagues, we can continue to make progress. I am committed to continue to work with Senator Tuberville and others on moving forward, but at the same time, we have got to keep faith with these military members. We have got to keep faith with them. Many of them are deployed right now. A number of them are in combat.

And we committed to come back down here and try to move these, and we are going to keep doing it. Hopefully, we can move forward with my colleagues here to, as I mentioned, focus on the big issues of national security and readiness, which I believe, with regard to the Biden administration, are legion. I have been fighting those in the Armed Services Committee.

The Biden budget shrinks the Army, shrinks the Navy, shrinks the Marine Corps right now. That is music to Xi Jinping and Putin's ears. Next year's budget will be below 3 percent of GDP. We have only been below 3 percent of GDP maybe four or five times in the last 70 years. So that is not a good number. We need a much more robust military. I want to work with my partners, including those on the floor here, to focus on those issues. But we need to get through this, and it is important. We need to fix the policy, the abortion policy, that we all disagree with here. There are a number of ways we can do it. Again, I have worked with Senator Tuberville on ways to do that.

And I do agree with my colleagues here that this was started and provoked by the Biden administration. But punishing these 450 members and their families is not the best way--is not the way to go about doing that.

So, Mr. President--do you want to say anything else?

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Mr. SULLIVAN. My colleague had a question.

By the way, Mr. President, I appreciate your staying late, 3:30. And it is important work.

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