Getting your player ready...
WASHINGTON—Republican Sen. Richard Shelby is holding up President Barack Obama’s pick to lead Pentagon acquisitions because he wants assurances that the nominee won’t change the criteria in a heated competition for a $35 billion refueling tanker contract.
Shelby and other Alabama lawmakers are worried the Pentagon might award the contract based strictly on price without considering additional capabilities.
They have a stake in the fight because Northrop Grumman Corp. would assemble the plane in Mobile, Ala. The company is offering a larger, more expensive plane than its competitor, Boeing Co.
Shelby alone can’t block the nomination of Ashton Carter as a Defense Department undersecretary, but he can delay his confirmation.
