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Our Sen. Richard Shelby (R) has taken the unusual step of placing a blanket hold on all of Obama’s nominees “in an effort to force presidential action on the Air Force refueling tanker and other matters,” according to FederalTimes.com.
Shelby is particularly peeved about the refueling tanker because a tanker contract worth up to $35 billion was awarded to Northrop Grumman and Airbus last year, but later voided in a bid protest filed by Boeing. The Northrop tankers would have been assembled in Mobile, Ala.
In a written statement, Shelby said Air Force efforts to build new tankers have been stalled for nearly 10 years and “we still do not have a transparent and fair acquisition process to move forward.”
FederalTimes.com adds, “Shelby also wants Obama to release funds so the FBI can build a Terrorist Explosive Devices Analytical Center in Alabama, the statement said.”
Reportedly more than 70 nominations are on hold until Shelby gets what he wants – or until the Senate has 60 votes to file successful cloture motions on the nominations.
Nationally, this will not play so well in an environment where Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson (D) was roundly criticized for negotiating his own sweetheart deal for his home state so that the Democrats’ Health Care plan could pass the Senate, and where Republican Senators Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham yesterday called on Congress to ban earmarks along the lines of what Shelby arranged for the proposed FBI center.
But locally? This will likely play well to the home crowd. It’s about creating jobs (about 1500 are at stake in the tanker project) and bringing the federal dollars home (Alabama receives $1.66 from Washington in government spending for every dollar it sends to Washington, according to an 07 study of FY 05).
Plus, a Senator is probably emboldened when he is one of three with eight-figure campaign warchests ($16.3 million in Shelby’s case) as CQ Politics noted this morning. Campaign money like that could overcome a lot of missteps if necessary.
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President Obama should return the favor to the good Senator, in the way of withholding federal grants, disaster declarations, etc. to the state. Two can play at that game!
for better or worse, shelby is a powerful senator. this will indeed play well in alabama and he will coast to re election regardless of that happens.
Stalled for 10 years? Why didn’t he put a hold on Bush’s nominations a year or so ago?
Hurray for Shelby! I would have preferred that Shelby ‘hold’ nominees until their taxes could be investigated (Geithner, et al.) or until their radical communist backgrounds could be exposed (Van Jones, et al.), but this a step in the right direction.
What a tool!
Hopefully Shelby mis-calculated this time and someone will finally point out how bought he is by special interests.
According to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity, Northrop Grumman has contributed more than $ 100,000 from its political action committee to Shelby during his four terms in the U.S. Senate. Moreover, Shelby has received contributions directly from top officials of both EADS and Northrop Grumman and his former legislative director now lobbies for EADS… Richard Shelby – bought and paid for!
sleazy as shelby is, he may moan and groan about the tanker contract and other deals and his particular “neckbones”, but maybe he’s got something else on his agenda. he blocked the replacement of middle district us atty leura canary because his choice, anna clark morris, was not annointed. maybe that’s what he really wants. larry morris, her dad, is a big shelby supporter but huffington records show larry morris is a big contributor to democrats.