Senator Shelby Freezes Obama Nominees Over KC-X

It has been reported that Senator Shelby (R-AL) has placed a hold on every nomination made by President Obama that must be confirmed by the Senate. This means that without a vote of over 60 Senators the nominations cannot be considered. Putting a hold on specific individuals is not uncommon but the use of the “blanket hold” is. Reportedly Shelby is upset about progress on the KC-X RFP as well as plans to build a new national Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) school at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL.

Shelby had been a Democrat until the election of Bill Clinton when he switched parties. It would be hard to believe that this broad attack will force any changes to the RFP to make it more attractive to Northrop Grumman (NOC) and EADS (EADS:P). It will also be hard for Shelby to sustain this kind of action for long.

Alabama Congressional Delegation Pressing For Northrop And EADS

The Alabama Congressional Delegation will hold a press conference tomorrow to discuss the newly re-started KC-X contest. Based on comments today made by Senator Shelby (R-AL) there is concern among them that the cost focused draft RFP is not the best solution and my be biased against the Northrop Grumman/EADS proposal. The war of words over this has just begun and will drag on until the contract is awarded and the protests end.

Senator’s Shelby view of the KC-45 contract

This article in The Financial Times by Senator Shelby sums up the view from Alabama on the KC-45 contract award. He stresses the fact that the Air Force utilized the proper DoD regulations and instructions on requirements and source selection. Unfortunately for Boeing there is no standard for number of US jobs in these kind of selections.

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