Senators from Maryland and Virginia have asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) to have the upper chamber vote on the confirmation of Beth Cobert, acting director at the Office of Personnel Management, as OPM chief.Sens. Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), and Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) said in a letter to McConnell that Cobert’s confirmation is needed in order to establish a “stable leadership†at OPM, Warner’s office said Thursday.
The lawmakers also noted that a Republican senator continues to place a hold on Cobert’s nomination despite the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s unanimous decision in February to advance her nomination as OPM head.
“While we understand our colleague has concerns relating to OPM rulemaking that occurred well prior to Ms. Cobert’s tenure at OPM, we continue to urge him to elevate those concerns in a productive and appropriate manner rather than hamstringing the agency at a moment when strong leadership is sorely needed,’’ the senators wrote.
The letter coincides with the first anniversary of the data breaches at OPM that affected the personal data of at least 20 million individuals.
President Barack Obama nominated Cobert, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for 2016, as OPM director in November.
