Senate confirms Defense nominees stalled by GOP holds
Republicans cave in after being pressed to explain wartime holds that weren't based on the merits of the candidates for Air Force and acquisition jobs.
The Senate late Thursday approved three Defense Department nominees whose confirmation had been blocked for weeks by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., amid concerns about an Air Force contract for aerial refueling tankers.
The nominees, confirmed by unanimous consent, are Frank Kendall, to be principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics; Erin Conaton, to be undersecretary of the Air Force; and Terry Yonkers, to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations and environment. Conaton is the House Armed Services Committee's staff director.
Northrop Grumman Corp. and EADS are vying for the high-stakes tanker contract, worth as much as $40 billion, and plan to build the planes in Mobile, Ala. But Northrop Grumman officials are weighing whether to pull out of the competition because they fear the Air Force may be favoring their competitor, Boeing Co.
During a Senate hearing Thursday, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley urged a vote on the nominations.
"The individuals whose livelihoods and careers are being held in an uncertain limbo deserve a vote, and we need to proceed with the important work of the Air Force and the Department of Defense," he said.
On Thursday, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said he told Shelby and other GOP senators who were blocking Pentagon nominations that he would go to the floor and seek consent to confirm the nominees. If they objected, Levin said he would force them to explain why they were blocking Defense nominees for reasons unrelated to their merits "in the middle of two wars."
"I think that they realized that there was no purpose being served because the people they were holding didn't have anything to do with what the goals were," Levin said.
Other nominees confirmed Thursday night include Malcolm Ross O'Neill to be assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology; Paul Luis Oostburg Sanz to be the Navy's general counsel; and Jackalyne Pfannenstiel to be assistant Navy secretary for installations and environment.