Fed up with Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) single-handed blocking of nearly 400 Pentagon appointments over a policy that allows military to travel to states that allow abortions, Senate Republicans joined Democrats to individually confirm three top military officers (per the AP). 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is pushing for at least nine Republicans to join his caucus next week for a rules change that would remove a single senator’s ability to deny confirmation of a block of military officers. It is unclear whether Senate Republicans are willing to go along with the rules change, though several prominent members of the GOP caucus criticized Tuberville for damaging U.S. military strength. 

The Senate confirmed Thursday Adm. Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (for which she becomes the first female to serve), Gen. David Arvin as chief of staff for the Air Force and Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney to serve as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin lauded the confirmations, but said, “We still have more than 370 superbly qualified leaders who have seen their nominations unnecessarily stalled.”

Contrast Senate Republicans with House Republicans, who on Wednesday voted down a resolution introduced by New York GOP members to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) (The Guardian). The previous Friday, Santos pleaded not guilty to a 23-count federal indictment that accuses the freshman representative of laundering funds to pay for personal expenses, illegally receiving unemployment benefits and charging donors’ checking accounts without their consent, among other charges. 

The House vote rejecting his expulsion, which would have made him only the sixth such rep in the nation’s history (including three removed for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War) preserves the GOP’s 221-212 House majority.