Republican senator defends blocking appointment of Obama’s TSA nominee
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Republican Sen. Jim DeMint this morning defended his action in blocking President Obama’s nominee to head the Transportation Security Administration.
Interviewed on NBC’s “Today” show, the South Carolina senator said it was proper for him to hold up the nomination because he continues to have questions about whether Erroll Southers supports unionization of TSA employees. DeMint opposes unionization, arguing it could cut back on options to deploy personnel to deal with the growing security concerns.
“What I want is a few hours of debate on Mr. Southers to fix the nation back on security and get politics, especially union politics, out of our security apparatus,” DeMint said.
In the wake of the failed attempt to bring down a jet from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day and other security scares, Democrats have pledged to move the Southers appointment along. Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada has said he would file for cloture when the Senate returns from its recess Jan. 20.
Obama, who returns this morning from a vacation in Hawaii, is expected to meet with his security team this week.
-- Michael Muskal
