LOGJAM AT THE TOP: Frustrated by the slow pace of the Senate, which is currently tied up in knots by the debate over repealing and replacing Obamacare, Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain took to the Senate floor for one of his famous rants. “Tomorrow, the current deputy secretary of defense, Bob Work, will leave his office – tomorrow. There simply is no more time to delay,” McCain said. He tried twice Thursday to get a floor vote set for President Trump‘s pick to be deputy defense secretary, Pat Shanahan, only to be blocked each time by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“You can choose to vote ‘no,’ you can choose to vote ‘yes,’ but let’s just vote,” McCain said. “The obstruction has gone on long enough – and it has to stop … This is a time for us to put aside all of that, for the sake of our national security.” But Schumer was unmoved, objecting McCain’s motions to rush a vote immediately or on Monday. “We’d be happy to consider the nominee in regular order and maybe once things change a little bit in healthcare we can, with the consent of my friends on this side of the aisle, move a lot of things quickly,” Schumer said. For the record, while Work does have a retirement ceremony scheduled, he has indicated he will stick around until Shanahan shows up to take over the number 2 job at the Pentagon.
