Richard Shelby

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Richard Shelby (1934-) is a U.S. Senator from the state of Alabama (U.S. state). First elected in 1986 as a member of the Democratic Party (United States), he switched to, and remains in, the Republican Party (United States) as of 1994. His current term expires in 2010.

Prior to the Senate, he was a U.S. Congressional Representativebetween 1979 and 1987; an Alabama State Senator from 1970 to 1970, and Legislative Counsel to the Alabama Senate between 1977 and 1980. Before that, he was in the private practice of law from 1963 to 1978, also serving as State Special Assistant Attorney General, 1969-1971; Prosecutor, City of Tuscaloosa, 1963-1971; United States Commissioner, Northern District of Alabama, 1966-1970.

Blanket holds[edit]

In February 2010, he placed "holds" on approximately 70 Obama Administration nominees, apparently in an attempt to obtain government contracts for the State of Alabama. While rare, large numbers of holds are not unprecedented, although they usually involve broad positions rather than specific contracts for the Senator's state. When Sen. Harry Reid placed numerous holds in 2004, he excluded national security nominations, which Shelby has not.^[1]

The first, for tanker aircraft, is worth up to $65 billion. It had been awarded to a team of Airbus Industries and an Alabama-based branch of Northrop Grumman, but Boeing won the work after it protested the bid. ^[2]

He released most holds on February 8, saying ""The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House's attention on two issues that are critical to our national security -- the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI's Terrorist Device Analytical Center (TEDAC). "With that accomplished, Sen. Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition." The White House said it agreed to none of his demands. ^[3]

Committees[edit]

• U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
• Ranking minority member, U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
• U.S. Senate Committee on Special Committee on Aging

Caucuses and other groups[edit]

• Co-Chair, Congressional Privacy Caucus
• Financial Coalition to Fight Child Pornography
• National Republican Senatorial Committee
• Senate Co-Chair, National Security Caucus
• Co-Chair/Co-Founder, Senate Caucus on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children
• Senate Centrist Coalition
• Co-Chair, Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus.

References[edit]