Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is ending his nearly 10-month blockade on military promotions, releasing his holds on all but 4-star generals and officers. He and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) estimate the remaining holds apply to 10 nominees, freeing up hundreds of promotions — 3-star and below — to move forward.
Tuberville launched the blockade over his opposition to recent changes in Pentagon policy that included reimbursing service members for travel to receive abortions. That policy remains, but Tuberville faced growing pressure from both parties to drop his protest.
That pressure “only increased as Senate Democrats planned to hold a vote in the coming weeks that would temporarily change the rules of the upper chamber in order to advance the more than 400 nominees that were being affected,” The Hill’s Al Weaver noted.
Several Senate Republicans opposed Tuberville’s holds but also opposed changing the Senate rules to get around them.
“There’s no reason. We’re not the House,” Tuberville said. “We keep the rules the way they are.”
The chamber took action on a few top military posts in one-off votes amid his hold.
Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.
Special Counsel Jack Smith‘s team outlined evidence collected against former President Trump in the federal case into 2020 election interference, including comments Trump made as far back as 2012.
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) announced Tuesday he’ll retire at the end of this term, which saw him rise to new heights within the House GOP. McHenry wrote “there is a season for everything and—for me—this season has come to an end.“
McHenry served as Speaker pro tempore after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted as Speaker and before Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) won the gavel this fall.
CONGRESS
Schumer pushes forward, Johnson pumps brakes on Ukraine aid
Between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) moving the Senate closer to a vote on President Biden‘s supplemental foreign aid package Monday night and the chamber hearing from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyvia video conference Tuesday afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pumped the breaks on Ukraine aid in a letter to the Biden administration.
Johnson’s letter cites demands for “transformative change to our nation’s border security laws” along with details on objectives and how dollars are spent in Ukraine.
Border policy is a topic of intense debate in both chambers. Read more here.
EDUCATION
College leaders face GOP criticism in antisemitism hearing
Leaders of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology faced criticism and questions from House Education Committee Republicans in a Tuesday hearing on antisemitism on college campuses.
GOP lines of questioning in the “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism” hearing included campus speaker policy and foreign influences on college campuses. See The Hill’s live blog here.
CNN will host a town hall Dec. 12 with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and one Dec. 13 with Vivek Ramaswamy. The town halls will take place at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, just one month before the state’s caucuses.
Newsom cements place as Democratic Party star
The Hill’s Julia Mueller looks at California Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s (D) rising national profile and role as a top defender of President Biden amid speculation about the governor’s own future presidential ambitions.