Former defense secretaries who served in Democratic and Republican administrations wrote in a joint letter Thursday that Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) hold on almost 200 DOD promotions hurts military families and helps U.S. adversaries, Military.com reported.

Tuberville has held up the nominations in protest of a Pentagon policy that provides time off and covers travel expenses for service members who need to travel for reproductive care.

“We believe placing a hold on all uniformed nominees risks turning military officers into political pawns, holding them responsible for a policy decision made by their civilian leaders,” the former secretaries wrote in their letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), without mentioning Tuberville by name.

The signers are former Secs. William Cohen, Mark Esper, Bob Gates, Chuck Hagel, Jim Mattis, Leon Panetta and William Perry.

DOD photo of Hagel and Mattis at the Pentagon in 2017 by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley