Hirono Votes to Confirm Joint Chiefs Chairman, Condemns Tuberville’s Ongoing Hold on Military Promotions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, voted to confirm General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and advanced the nomination of General Randy George to be Army Chief of Staff. This week, the Senate is also expected to consider the nomination of General Eric Smith to be Commandant of the Marine Corps. All three nominations, as well as hundreds of other General and Flag Officer promotions, have been blocked for months due to reckless holds put in place by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

“General Brown is a life-long public servant and battle-tested leader who should have, and could have, been confirmed months ago,” said Senator Hirono. “By blocking his nomination—along with those of hundreds of other officers—Senator Tuberville manufactured a crisis that continues to jeopardize our national security. Today, Senate Democrats acted to avoid some of the gravest potential consequences of this crisis by confirming his promotion. The DOD’s travel policy remains in effect. Senator Tuberville’s hold is not accomplishing his goal, and this self-indulgent behavior is only accomplishing chaos. With the promotions of more than 300 career officers still in limbo, this crisis is far from over. While Republicans sow chaos at the expense of our troops, Senate Democrats will continue working to strengthen our national security and support the brave men and women of our Armed Forces.”

In March, when Senator Tuberville (R-AL) first began his hold on numerous military officer promotions, Senator Hirono delivered remarks on the Senate floor to speak out against his reckless decision. In May, Senator Hirono joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) in asking for unanimous consent on the Senate floor to confirm the military nominations that were being blocked by Senate Republicans, led by Senator Tuberville. That same day, Senator Hirono delivered remarks on the Senator floor again to condemn Senator Tuberville’s ongoing hold, which—at the time—was impacting nearly 200 military officer promotions. In July, Senator Hirono led seven of her Democratic colleagues on the Committee in calling on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to help end Senator Tuberville’s reckless hold on more than 260 military promotions.

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