Shelby blocking Obama appointees in pursuit of new refueling tanker jobs for Alabama

Last week Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby put a “hold” on all Obama nominations for executive branch positions -- about seventy all told – to pressure the Air Force into changing the terms of its “request for proposals” for the award of the multi-billion dollar air refueling tanker aircraft contract.

The Northrup-Grumman/Airbus team plans to build some of the aircraft in Alabama, building a new plant and presumably hiring and training hundreds of Shelby’s constituents.

A spokesman for Shelby bemoaned the lack of a “transparent and fair” process for tanker acquisition, but what is clear from the senator’s announcement blocking presidential appointees is that bringing earmark dollars home to Alabama is more important to Shelby than what the Air Force, and the nation, needs for future defense.

Apparently the pork, and the jobs Shelby wants for his home state, rank above what the Air Force needs to replace the aged KC-135 tanker fleet. Shelby’s attempt to hold the appointment process hostage to gain political advantage toward landing Alabama a new aircraft assembly (not manufacturing, because the airframe components would be built in Europe) plant and an FBI explosives test center.

A single senator can stall a particular nomination almost indefinitely, a commonly used procedure for individual lawmakers wielding power to impede government process. Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions currently has blocks on two Pentagon appointees (not based on the Airbus question), but a blanket hold is considered a rare senatorial action.