[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 200 (Tuesday, December 5, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5733-S5734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



     Brig. Gen. Steven J. Butow

  Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Mr. President, today, hundreds--hundreds--of 
military families across the country can breathe a sigh of relief. The 
Senate has now unanimously confirmed hundreds

[[Page S5734]]

of military nominations that were held up for 10 months by a single 
person: the Senator from Alabama. Thank God, these military officers 
will now get the promotions they so rightfully earned.
  I am happy that, after so much unnecessary delay by one Senator, we 
have finally moved forward and given these men and women the promotions 
they deserve. And we will work to confirm the rest of the nominees that 
were on hold very soon.
  While today's confirmations are good news, these holds should never 
have happened in the first place. Unfortunately, resolving this impasse 
took too long, risking our national security and throwing the lives of 
so many military families into discombobulation. I am glad that 
pointless and gravely damaging ordeal has finally, finally ended.
  Now, let this incident be a warning: No one--no one--should attempt 
this in the Senate again. The senior Senator from Alabama has nothing 
to show for his 10 months of delay--no law is changing in any way--
except for the damage he did to our military readiness and the pain he 
caused to military families. If every Senator did what Senator 
Tuberville tried to do and held up military confirmations because of 
this or that partisan issue, no matter how deeply felt, it would grind 
the Senate to a halt. It would be a catastrophe for our military. 
Holding up military nominations was an unsuccessful and risky strategy 
in this instance and should never, ever happen again.
  I want to thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle who spoke 
out in defense of our military families. I want to thank, particularly, 
Senator Reed, the chair of the Armed Services Committee; Senator 
Klobuchar, the chair of the Rules Committee; and I really want to thank 
Senators Ernst and Sullivan for their courage in helping break the 
logjam after so, so many months. For all those who played a part in 
bringing this impasse to an end, thank you. Thank you. It took 
patience. It took resolve. But we have emerged on the right side of 
where we should be.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am rejoicing in the orders that Senator 
Schumer read. The first thing I would like to do is apologize to the 
hundreds of officers--men and women who dedicated themselves to their 
country--and also to their families for this unusual, shall we say, 
disruption of their promotions to ranks they have won through their 
merit and effort.
  I think also, too, that it is important to note the contribution of 
Senator Sullivan and Senator Ernst and Senator Young and Senator Graham 
and others. They recognized that military officers are not political 
pawns; that they are men and women who have dedicated themselves and 
their families to service, to protect the Constitution of the United 
States. So they joined in to ensure that, today, we could have these 
much delayed promotions on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
  Once again, Mr. President, we have to recognize, in the future, we 
can never do this again; that these men and women served their lives, 
decades; they served with courage; they served with integrity; they 
have served with decency. They do it for this country--not for a 
political party, not for a cause or a popular emotion. They do it to 
defend their country. And they are aided every step of the way by their 
families, by their spouses, by their children. In fact, these spouses 
and children make as many, if not more, sacrifices than the soldiers, 
sailors, airmen, marines, and guardsmen themselves, in my view.
  But let us commit that, as we go forward, we shall not view a soldier 
in the context of a political dynamic but in the context of his or her 
quality of service, her integrity, her decency, and--above all--their 
not only solemn obligation but complete life of preserving and 
defending the Constitution of the United States.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.