Senator lifts nominee holds, says issues being addressed

Senator lifts nominee holds, says issues being addressed
By Megan Scully and Dan Friedman CongressDaily February 9, 2010

In the face of widespread attacks, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., announced Monday he has dropped his holds on most Obama administration nominations, saying he has finally gotten attention on the issues that prompted them in the first place.

"The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House's attention on two issues that are critical to our national security -- the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI's Terrorist Device Analytical Center," Shelby spokesman Jonathan Graffeo said in a lengthy statement.

"With that accomplished, Sen. Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition until the new Request for Proposal is issued," he said.

Shelby's hold, which CongressDaily reported Thursday, drew sharp attacks from the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., the White House and other Democrats.

Democrats have long attacked Republicans for what they call rampant obstructionism, and the hold on nominees to win home-state spending gave Democrats an easy target to make their point.

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