The US Army's chief of staff stepped down Friday, leaving a second military branch without a confirmed leader as a lawmaker stalls the approval of Pentagon nominations to protest efforts to aid abortion access for troops. The Pentagon has emphasized that the delay in approving the nominations is negatively impacting military families, as they are unable to plan for things such as school for their children given the uncertainty about where they will be living.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has blocked the nominations of hundreds of military officials for more than five months, protesting the Pentagon’s abortion reimbursement policy.
The chief of staff of the US Army resigned on Friday, leaving a second military branch without a confirmed commander while a congressman blocks Pentagon nominees in opposition to measures to let.
“Today, for the first time in the history of the Department of Defense, two of our services will be operating without Senate-confirmed leadership,” Lloyd Austin says.