More than 500 military family members signed a petition asking Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) to end his blanket blockade on hundreds of officer and admiral promotions. Some of the spouses hand-delivered the petition to Tuberville’s office Monday, according to Military.com.

“We fully understand there are some sacrifices you have to make, there’s some decisions you have to navigate very carefully,” said Tonya Murphy, the spouse of a Navy commander currently stationed in Hampton Roads, Virginia. “But, I mean, when you’re doing all of that to make it work, and then you have this kind of potential blockage hanging over your head at any point, it makes it all seem a lot less worth it.”

The “Stop Playing Politics with Our Military” petition was organized by the Secure Families Initiative, an advocacy group.

Meanwhile, eight Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter Monday to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) encouraging him to put more pressure on Tuberville.

“It falls on you to act now, for the safety and security of our nation,” they wrote. “We urge you to exercise your leadership and prevail on Senator Tuberville to end his reckless hold.”

AL.com photo