Landrieu Not Lifting OMB Hold Yet

Last month, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., placed a hold on the nomination of Jacob Lew to head the Office of Management and Budget, saying she wouldn't lift it until the Obama administration lifted its moratorium on offshore oil drilling.

Yesterday, the administration did just that. Was that good enough for Landrieu? Nope.

"Today's decision is a good start, but it must be accompanied by an action plan to get the entire industry in the Gulf of Mexico back to work," Landrieu said, according to a Talking Points Memo report. "This means that the administration must continue to accelerate the granting of permits in shallow and deep water, and provide greater certainty about the rules and regulations industry must meet."

Landrieu says she'll use the time between now and when Congress returns for a lame-duck session next month to determine whether that's actually happening. Meanwhile, one of the most important positions in the management and operations of the government remains unfilled.