Holds Have Consequences

Among them, encouraging folks to flee agencies. The General Services Administration's Chief of Staff has just left the agency after two years without an administrator to report to. It disturbs me how often holds on nominations are seen as purely political acts, when they're obviously so much more than that. Of course a hold is an easy way to signal an objection, real or feigned, to a nomination, or a nominee's stance on an issue. But it also deprives an agency of leadership and direction, and it has a significant impact on morale. Senators should weigh those impacts when they consider placing holds. And perhaps consider simply organizing no votes better in hopes of stopping nominees they truly disagree with, rather than obfuscating nominations simply for the sake of doing it.