Senate confirms C.Q. Brown as chairman of Joint Chiefs after monthslong Tuberville hold

The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm the nomination of Gen. C.Q. Brown to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following a monthslong hold of over more than 300 military promotions by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer moved earlier in the day to have three key military promotions - the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Marine Corps commandant, and the Army chief of staff - voted on separately rather than as part of a bloc of holds by Tuberville. Following Brown's confirmation, the Senate will take votes Thursday to confirm the new Army chief of staff and the new Marine Corps commandant.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin celebrated Brown's confirmation, saying in a statement Wednesday evening that Brown will be a "tremendous leader of our joint force." But Austin also slammed Tuberville's blockade on other military nominations.

"Senator Tuberville's continued hold on hundreds of our nation's military leaders endangers our national security and military readiness," Austin said. "The brave men and women of the U.S. military deserve to be led by highly-qualified general and flag officers at this critical moment for our national security."

Earlier Wednesday, Schumer assailed the Alabama Republican's tactics in a fiery speech on the Senate floor as Tuberville had threatened to file a motion himself on the Senate floor, something traditionally only afforded to the Senate majority leader.

The votes to finally confirm a handful of nominations this week follow months of intransigence by the Alabama senator, with members of his own party unable to move Tuberville from his position because of his opposition to a Defense Department policy reimbursing travel costs for service members who must go across state lines to seek an abortion.

In floor remarks Wednesday, Schumer said the Senate will confront "his obstruction head on," but was forced to change direction in demanding the promotions be voted on as Tuberville's holds stretched into months, and key military positions remained vacant.