What happened: Eight female Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee condemned a bid by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) to force the Pentagon to overturn new abortion access policies by blocking the approval of senior military promotions.

In a joint statement to POLITICO, the lawmakers defended Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's policy to shore up abortion access with many troops stationed in states that now have significant restrictions or full bans.

“As women on the House Armed Services Committee, we strongly object to Senator Tuberville’s work to limit women’s access to reproductive healthcare and to endanger our military readiness in a time of international strife and pressing global threats," the lawmakers said.

Eight Democratic women signed on: Reps. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Veronica Escobar of Texas, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Sara Jacobs of California, Marilyn Strickland of Washington, Jill Tokuda of Hawaii and Jennifer McClellan of Virginia.

The dispute: Tuberville followed through on a promise to object to quickly confirming civilian nominees as well as general and flag officer promotions for the military after the Pentagon finalized its policies in February, arguing the Defense Department is giving backdoor funding for abortions in violation of the law.

He's promising not to back off until the Pentagon reverses the policy.

After blocking a push by Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I) to confirm them on Wednesday, Tuberville vowed to continue his fight "until hell freezes over."

Making the case: Austin defended the policy in hearings this week in the House and Senate, and personally appealed to Tuberville to reverse course.

The Pentagon chief and others have warned that not approving top leaders will have a cascading effect on military readiness as top commanders and several members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retire in the coming months.