Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., says he is dropping his monthslong hold on most military promotions. He will continue to block promotions for four-star generals over his objections to a Pentagon abortion policy.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., says he is dropping his monthslong hold on most military promotions. He will continue to block promotions for four-star generals over his objections to a Pentagon abortion policy. / AP

Updated December 5, 2023 at 1:29 PM ET

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., says he will drop his hold on most military promotions. He has been blocking military promotions for months over his objections to an unrelated Pentagon policy that pays for service members' travel to seek abortion care.

Tuberville told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday that he will drop the hold on all promotions except those for four-star generals. Tuberville has been blocking promotions since February, creating a backlog that has grown to more than 350.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.