Dan Sullivan working to force votes on delayed Joint Chiefs picks

Sen. Dan Sullivan is working to force more votes on nominees for now-vacant spots on the Joint Chiefs, teeing up yet another confrontation in the monthslong blockade of hundreds of military promotions.

Sullivan’s office confirmed the Alaska Republican is circulating cloture petitions for Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Gen. David Allvin, the picks to lead the Navy and Air Force, respectively. Both are part of the blanket hold by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who has blocked quick confirmation of senior military promotions over the Pentagon’s policy of covering troops’ travel costs to obtain abortions.

If Sullivan can muster the 16 signatures needed for the petition, it would trigger a procedural vote to end debate on their nominations.

“He’s working it,” a Sullivan aide told POLITICO.

Punchbowl News reported earlier on the move.

Whether Sullivan’s effort will move forward is unclear. Sullivan planned to use the same tactic to force a vote over the summer to confirm Marine Commandant Gen. Eric Smith, but backed off amid pressure from Senate GOP leadership.

If Sullivan moves forward, it would be the second such confrontation in just more than a month on the Senate floor. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer set up confirmation standalone votes on three Joint Chiefs picks — Gen. C.Q. Brown to be chair, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Smith — to head off a similar move by Tuberville to force votes.

A vote compelled by Sullivan would put Democrats in an awkward spot. Schumer has resisted calling up individual military nominees for votes, instead seeking to put pressure on Republicans to intervene to resolve the wider blockade.

The unfolding war between Israel and Hamas may put pressure on Tuberville and Republicans. But it could also turn up the heat on the Democratic-run Senate to take action on top positions, such as the Joint Chiefs and nominees set to command forces in the Middle East.

Senate Democrats have been planning to step up their public criticism of Tuberville in the wake of the Middle East crisis and have been discussing the possibility of a change in the Senate rules to force the nominees through.

“The latest conflict in the Middle East is just one more highlight of how many senior leadership positions are not filled by the person that the military believes is the most qualified commander,” said Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the chair of the Armed Services panel on personnel.

“We cannot change the rules in the Senate without Republican support,” Warren added. “Every Democrat is lined up to force Sen. Tuberville to release his hold, but we need 10 Republicans to come with us on that.”