NBC News:

The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Sunday condemned Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s ongoing hold on hundreds of military promotions, calling it a “paralyzing” move that amounts to a “national security problem.”

“The idea that one man in the Senate can hold this up for months — I understand maybe promotions, but nominations? — is paralyzing the Department of Defense,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I think that is a national security problem and a national security issue.”

Tuberville, R-Ala., who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has blocked hundreds of military promotions for months over his objection to a Defense Department policy that provides paid time off and reimburses travel costs for service members and dependents seeking abortions.

The Defense Department’s policy on abortion has drawn heated debate among congressional lawmakers and has become a major part of negotiations on the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual must-pass defense policy bill. The GOP-led House passed its version of the legislation after it added an amendment that would force the Pentagon to rescind the policy.