The White House has released a new slate of military nominees, including the first woman to lead the Navy, as a GOP-led promotions blockade continues.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has been holding up Pentagon promotions since February over a policy that pays travel expenses for military members and their dependents seeking abortions. The new nominees could dial up pressure on Tuberville to relent.

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"Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following four individuals for key roles within the U.S. military," read a release from the White House. "Each are highly decorated naval officers with extensive operational experience. They will help ensure that the U.S. Military, and in particular the U.S. Navy, remain the most powerful and capable forces in the world at this critical moment."

Leading the list is Admiral Lisa Franchetti, who would become the first woman to serve as chief of naval operations if confirmed.

Franchetti currently serves as vice chief, and previously held the title of director of strategy, plans, and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"She has also served as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, and commander of Carrier Strike Group 15," the White House release reads. "She received her commission in 1985 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at Northwestern University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. She also attended the Naval War College and holds a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix."

Tuberville is protesting a Defense Department policy enacted in the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision that allowed states to set abortion laws. He says the policy is illegal because Congress did not vote for it or appropriate money for the travel expenses and time off.

The White House and congressional Democrats have responded by saying the move hurts military readiness and puts women in the military in particular danger.

"What Senator Tuberville is doing is not only wrong, it is dangerous," Biden said in a Friday statement. "In this moment of rapidly evolving security environments and intense competition, he is risking our ability to ensure that the United States Armed Forces remain the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. And his Republican colleagues in the Senate know it."

The other nominees are Vice Admiral James Kilby, who would become vice chief of naval operations, Admiral Samuel Paparo, who would become commander of Indo-Pacific command, and Vice Admiral Stephen "Web" Koehler, who would become commander of the Pacific fleet.

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Tuberville says he will not end the blockade until a change is made at the Defense Department.

"The more Joe Biden attacks me," he said on the Senate floor this week, "the more I'm convinced that I'm doing the right thing.”