Cruz Offers to Lift Holds on Biden Nominees

“Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) will lift his holds on a handful of President Joe Biden’s diplomatic and foreign-policy nominees if an amendment to sanction the Nord Stream 2 pipeline gets a vote today — and he’ll lift even more if it passes,” Politico reports.

“It’s the latest example of Cruz playing hardball with the Biden administration over its controversial decision to waive sanctions on the Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline, and trying to force the State Department to reverse course. Cruz’s slow-walking of the national-security nominees has been a thorn in the administration’s side for months, and it’s a big reason why the Senate has confirmed Biden’s nominees at a glacial pace compared to previous administrations.”