The Alabama senator holding up military promotions over abortion policy could "absolutely" affect military readiness, the White House said Wednesday.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has held up more than 160 promotions of military commanders over an abortion policy in the Department of Defense, which National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said could harm national security.

WHITE HOUSE SAYS GOP DEBT CEILING PROPOSALS WILL HURT REPUBLICAN VOTERS

"If it goes on too long, it can absolutely have an effect on U.S. military readiness around the world," Kirby said in response to a question from the Washington Examiner. "We noticed there were some Senate Republicans yesterday who urged Sen. Tuberville to drop these blocks themselves, and we certainly welcome that and agree with them."

The Department of Defense policy provides leave and reimbursement for service members or their spouses who need to travel to get an abortion.

Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has said he’ll continue to block nominations until the Pentagon rescinds the policy. The blockade now forces the Senate to consider and vote on each nomination rather than fast-tracking them and approving them in batches, severely prolonging the process.

“This is about not forcing the taxpayers of this country to fund abortion. That’s been a bipartisan consensus for more than 40 years,” Tuberville said Tuesday. “The American taxpayer [is] on the hook to pay for travel and time off for elective abortion.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Kirby warned that the effects of Tuberville's block will get worse the longer it goes on, especially with the war in Ukraine and threats from North Korea and China lurking.

"When you hold these promotions up, there is a real ripple effect downstream," Kirby said. "Because now, people can't move on to the next job and they can't leave the one that they're in and they can't assume these new jobs of responsibility."