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Floor Speech

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, earlier today, every Member of this body received a briefing on the ongoing threat Iran presents to our national security and that of our allies around the world. It was a stark reminder of the serious challenges and threats the United States and our allies face around the world. It also underscores the importance of ensuring our military is ready and able to respond to any threats that may arise.

Right now, though, one Senator is willfully undermining our readiness. I happen to chair the Readiness Subcommittee on the Armed Services Committee. Our servicemembers can only do their jobs if they are in place to do so, and, right now, the Senator from Alabama's hold on 196 general and flag officer promotions is preventing these brave men and women from entering new roles in which they are urgently needed.

Since March, the Senator from Alabama has refused to allow movement on any of these promotions, depriving our military of critical leaders in key posts around the globe. Among the nearly 200 promotions currently on hold is the next commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, who is responsible for overseeing the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, a critical infrastructure investment in our public shipyards in Hawaii and across the country.

The blanket hold also includes the Director of the Defense Logistics Agency, or DLA. DLA oversees the defense supply chain for all services and will be essential to the safe defueling and closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Oahu, a leak which impacted over 90,000 people living on Oahu.

The Senator from Alabama is also holding nominees to command the Fifth and Seventh Fleets, which are responsible for deterring threats from Iran and China, respectively. For any Member of this body to willfully degrade the readiness of these units is, in my view, unthinkably irresponsible.

To be clear, these are not controversial nominees. These are decorated, patriotic men and women who have devoted their adult lives to serving our Nation and who wish only to continue doing so.

My colleague from Alabama is placing a blanket hold on close to 200 promotions in the DOD because he disagrees with DOD's commonsense, humane policy to allow travel for servicemembers seeking reproductive services.

Thousands of servicemembers are posted in States that do not allow them to receive reproductive services necessitating this travel. This is a policy my colleague objects to, resulting in his hold on these promotions.

The travel policy does not include paying for abortions. How many times must this point have to be made? Why do my colleagues on the other side of the aisle continue to read into the policy that which is not there?

Nowhere does the policy allow the DOD to pay for abortion. There is no language in this policy that talks about facilitating the provision of abortion. Show me this language. You can't because it is not there. This is a travel policy for reproductive services.

So my colleague from Alabama is more concerned with pushing his ideological agenda than with the realities our troops face, even if that means depriving servicemembers of critical healthcare.

In addition to undermining our national security, this reckless hold is creating chaos for these servicemembers, many of whom will have to relocate their families and put their children in new schools.

These promotions are carefully timed to ensure critical positions don't go unfilled, and also that the servicemembers and their families can transition into new homes and schools with as little disruption as possible.

Beyond being reckless and fundamentally ill-informed, the Senator from Alabama's--I consider it a stunt; it is a slap in the face of our servicemembers. They should be able to do their jobs without political interference, without someone putting their ideological agenda ahead of the need for us to make these decisions.

For the sake of our servicemembers and our country, we need to end this dangerous blockade. That is why, in a moment, I will be asking the Senate to confirm Calendar No. 85. If confirmed, this nominee would command the Navy's Seventh Fleet, which at any given moment has almost 75 ships and submarines and over 27,000 sailors and marines, operating and in contact with both the Chinese and Russian Navies.

Encompassing many allies, partners, and competitors, the Pacific and its forward-deployed fleet should not be left without its appropriate commander.

85; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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