Last week, Senator Lindsey Graham and four other Republicans took to the floor of the Senate to condemn the state of affairs in the American military.

At first, that sounds like good news. Finally, these lawmakers will do their job and provide oversight for the Department of Defense. Finally, military bureaucrats will be held accountable for their repeated failures and the devastating impact their policies continue to have on military readiness and morale.

But these lawmakers did not take the floor to condemn Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s continued efforts to destroy the military from the top down. They did not take the floor to talk about an epidemic of obesity in the ranks, or the morale issues causing a retention and recruiting crisis. They did not condemn the evils of imposing experimental and unethical vaccine mandates. They did not demand the reinstatement and back pay of service members who were forced out over the vaccine mandate.

They did not condemn blatant violations of religious liberty. They did not condemn using the military to advance radical transgender ideology. They did not even condemn Secretary Austin’s policy of using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion access or transgender surgeries for service members.

These lawmakers did not use their time on the floor to force votes on the appointment of capable leaders who could stem the tide of Secretary Austin’s woke agenda, or at least ensure our military is ready to protect our nation. None of those issues were addressed.

Senators Lindsey Graham, Todd Young, Mitt Romney, Dan Sullivan, and Joni Ernst instead took the floor to condemn Senator Tommy Tuberville, their colleague who has unapologetically kept flag officer promotions from being approved by unanimous consent on one condition: that the military would stop using funds that should be used to equip and train service members to facilitate the murder of preborn children.

These lawmakers did not use their time on the floor to force votes on the appointment of capable leaders who could stem the tide of Secretary Austin’s woke agenda, or at least ensure our military is ready to protect our nation.

This is a thoughtful and appropriate exercise of power on the part of Tuberville. Every day that Senator Tuberville keeps his hold in place, he exposes the hypocrisy of senior military leaders, the White House, and even his own Republican colleagues. Every day he keeps the hold in place, he provides opportunities for the military leaders being considered for promotion to be properly vetted, and those without the capability of leading effectively to be identified and their promotions denied. Is it any wonder that a Department of Defense that has failed its last five audits does not want congressional oversight?

Unfortunately for lawmakers in the Senate, the actions from Tuberville expose them for failing to take their constitutional obligations to review military promotions seriously, as well as reveal the fact that some senior officers are being promoted for their loyalty to the current regime and Marxist ideology, not for their capability as leaders and warfighters.

The politicians and military bureaucrats who claim to be so concerned about national security could solve this problem, yet they choose to do otherwise.

First, the Senate could do its job to vet and vote on the promotion of individual flag officers. Senator Tuberville’s hold only applies to unanimous consent promotions. This process typically allows large numbers of promotions to occur at once without the Senate having to individually vet each officer being promoted. This so-called crisis ends if lawmakers do their job, vet each candidate, and vote on each promotion. After all, that is the requirement laid out in the Constitution and the job they were elected to perform.

Unfortunately for lawmakers in the Senate, the actions from Tuberville expose them for failing to take their constitutional obligations to review military promotions seriously.

Second, the Senate could impeach Secretary Austin and remove him from office if he does not reverse the abortion policy and stop facilitating the murder of preborn children. In addition to refusing to end this policy, Secretary Austin’s tenure as Defense Secretary has been an unmitigated disaster. As previously mentioned, he has overseen the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the increasing failure of basic physical fitness in the military, and declining military recruitment. At every turn, Secretary Austin has sacrificed military effectiveness and lethality on the altar of the woke leftist agenda and a desire to impose radical ideology on service members.

The military exists, first and foremost, to defend the American people, especially innocents who cannot defend themselves. There is no foreign war more important than protecting the lives of innocent children here at home.

Unfortunately, Senator Graham and these other elected Republicans have demonstrated they care more about their own careers and the political establishment than they do about their constitutional obligations or the lives of preborn American children.

Republicans in the Senate should stand with Tuberville, demand an end to the use of military funds for abortions, and call for the immediate removal of Secretary Austin.

Hold the line, Coach.