(WASHINGTON, DC) – She's not sure what's causing the holdups, but Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Lisa Murkowski says she's increasingly exasperated by the lack of nominees sent her way. "All I know is names go into a dark hole and it just seems to take forever," she said. "Where are they? This is May! ... I don't want to say I'm being a nag, but I am being persistent."
Not blaming Democrats: Unlike many of her peers, Murkowski said she won't entirely blame Democrats for delays. "I'm not seeing that it is the Democrats that are delaying it," she said. "I think you've got some internal things going on, that I'm just not quite sure what is causing the hold up." But the lack of names is already impacting Trump's ability to implement his agenda: "You can't put in place the president's priorities if his secretaries don't have their people in place," Murkowski said.
Zinke shares her concerns: Murkowski said she spoke with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke about the lack of progress and "he's just as frustrated as I am by this." But the problem isn't the people being picked for roles, she said. "Not one name have I heard has been rejected," the Alaskan said.
