The United States Navy might not have a top officer until at least September, thanks to one Senate Republican holding up the confirmation vote for President Donald Trump’s nominee.
Politico reported Thursday that Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) has denied unanimous consent to move forward on the confirmation of Admiral Daryl Caudle, who Trump has picked to be the next chief of naval operations (the highest-ranking military officer in the Navy). Because Senate rules require all 100 members to unanimously consent to moving forward with a nomination, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) may have to cut a deal with Sullivan in order to get him to drop his hold.
According to Politico, Sullivan may be holding out for the Trump administration to reopen the Adak Naval Air Station in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, which has been shuttered since the end of the Cold War. The Alaska Republican had unsuccessfully pushed for the base to be reopened in Trump’s massive tax and spending law (which Sullivan still voted for). He has argued that additional U.S. military presence in Alaska is necessary as a means of deterring Chinese and Russian activity in the Arctic Circle.
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Caudle, who is a four-star admiral, had his nomination quickly passed through the Senate Armed Services Committee with little fanfare on Tuesday, and he was expected to be easily confirmed prior to Sullivan announcing his hold. And because the Senate is about to depart Washington D.C. for its own August recess, a vote on Caudle’s confirmation may not come until after the Labor Day weekend.
Navy Secretary John Phelan (who was an investor with no military experience prior to his own confirmation) didn’t comment on the hold. His spokesman, Captain Adam Clampitt, told Politico that Phelan “is focused on maintaining our nation’s maritime dominance and nothing will distract him from this critically important mission.”
According to Politico, this is not the first time Sullivan has held up confirmation votes for military officials as a means of extracting concessions for his state. Sullivan previously held up Gen. C.Q. Brown’s confirmation vote to be Air Force chief of staff in 2020. He also blocked several of former President Joe Biden’s nominees for similar reasons.
The U.S. Navy has not had a chief of naval operations since Trump fired Admiral Lisa Franchetti, who Biden put in the position in 2023.
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Click here to read Politico’s full article.