Republican Senators debated into the early morning hours on Thursday as Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Joni Ernst, Iowa, Lindsey Graham, S.C., and Todd Young, Ind., fought to bring an end to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s months-long hold on military promotions over a military abortion travel policy.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, spoke at length in defense of Tuberville as the proceedings stretched from just before midnight until nearly 4 a.m.

The discussion came as the four GOP Senators mounted a repeat of an earlier effort to confirm military nominees.

Graham threatened to temporarily change the Senate rules if Tuberville doesn’t find another solution, CNN’s Morgan Rimmer tweeted. Graham suggested Tuberville could fight the policy in court.

“I promise you this – this will be the last holiday this happens. If it takes me to vote to break loose these folks, I will,” Graham said.

“If you do not believe these holds are having an effect on the military, I don’t question your sincerity, I question your judgment,” Graham said. ”This is like a car wreck on I-95. It keeps backing up....There were 300. we’re up to 450 (military nominees).”

Efforts by AL.com to reach Tuberville’s office for comment were not immediately successful and he was largely silent through the early morning debate.

“This isn’t getting fixed in a court of law,” Lee said. “We’ve got the remedy here ... don’t spit on me and tell me it’s raining.”

Lee said the Senators were “blaming the wrong culprit. It is not Tommy Tuberville. It is Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer.”

Since mid-February, Tuberville has held up the promotions over a new Department of Defense policy that reimburses service members for travel-related expenses for abortions if the procedure is illegal where they are stationed.

The Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday advanced a resolution in a 9-7 party line vote which would allow all the nearly 400 promotions blocked by Tuberville to be considered en bloc, or in large groups, to the full Senate.

Alabama’s junior Senator, Katie Britt, said the vote “sets a dangerous precedent” for how the Senate operates.

“The action taken today by my Democratic colleagues on the Senate Rules Committee is an ill-advised erosion of the institution of the Senate and the core Constitutional role the chamber should play in providing appropriate advice and consent,” Britt said in a statement following Tuesday’s vote.