President Obama challenged Senate Republicans to allow a vote on Loretta Lynch, his pick for attorney general, casting it as an opportunity for them to prove their newfound ability to govern.
“Republicans promised that Congress would function smoothly with them in charge. Here’s a small chance for them to prove it,” Obama said in his weekly address Saturday.
{mosads}The White House and Democrats have repeatedly vented their frustration over the nomination of Lynch, who is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Obama nominated her in November, and outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder has said he won’t leave until she’s confirmed.
“By Monday, Loretta will have been languishing on the Senate floor for longer than the seven previous attorneys general combined,” Obama said in his address, repeating the line for emphasis.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said Lynch won’t get a vote until the Senate passes an anti-human trafficking bill, which Democrats have blocked over a provision prohibiting federal funding for abortions. The measure cleared the Judiciary Committee unanimously earlier this year.
“You don’t hold attorney general nominees hostage for other issues,” Obama told the Huffington Post in an interview Friday.
“No one can claim she’s unqualified. No one’s saying she can’t do the job. Senators from both parties say they support her. This is purely about politics,” Obama said in his address.
Democrats have ratcheted up their rhetoric, suggesting delays on Lynch’s nomination are racially motivated. For example, Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said Republicans are making the first black female attorney general nominee “sit in the back of the bus.”
Many Republicans have said they will vote against Lynch over concerns related to Obama’s executive actions on immigration. Democrats need four Republican votes to have enough to confirm Lynch.
“Congress should stop playing politics with law enforcement and national security,” Obama said.
“They should support good people in both parties who want to reform our criminal justice system. And that means they should end the longest confirmation process for an attorney general in three decades, and give Loretta Lynch a vote,” he added.