U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday that he’s placing a hold on all State Department nominations until President Obama nominates an Inspector General for the agency, calling Mr. Obama’s failure to nominate an IG since taking office “unacceptable.”
“The position has been vacant for almost 2,000 days. This is a crucial oversight position and should be a priority for an agency facing substantial management challenges,” Mr. Cruz, Texas Republican, said in a statement.
“During the last five years, there have been deadly attacks on U.S. diplomatic personnel in Libya, mismanagement of security contractors at our embassy in Afghanistan, and hundreds of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars wasted for police training in Iraq,” he said. “These issues highlight the State Department’s need for an Inspector General as soon as possible. Until the President acts, I have notified Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell that I will place a hold on all State Department nominations.”
Mr. Cruz cited data from the Project on Government Oversight showing other agencies without a Senate-confirmed Inspector General: Interior (1,583 days), Labor (1,443 days) and the Agency for International Development (619 days).
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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