The Senate will have a busy week ahead, as it looks to tackle a number of pressing Pentagon nominations, The Hill reports. The Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday will hold a confirmation hearing for General Joseph Dunford to serve a second term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and lawmakers will also look to hold a hearing for President Donald Trump’s Army secretary nominee, Raytheon lobbyist and retired Army colonel Mark Esper.
Esper since 2010 has been with the world’s fourth largest defense company and has also worked as a lobbyist for the Aerospace Industries Association of America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. One committee member, Senator David Perdue, met with Esper and touted his business experience as a key asset for the Army.
“Dr. Esper and I discussed the urgent need to focus on the Army’s readiness and the need to recap the major platforms in the Army to meet the ever-changing global threats,” Purdue said in a statement Friday.
“I look forward to hearing more on how he plans to address these and other challenges facing the Army today during his confirmation hearing before the Armed Services Committee.” Perdue added.
Lawmakers are also likely to call into question Esper’s industry-filled resume during the confirmation hearing. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain has already expressed frustration with Trump choosing numerous industry executives as nominees for Pentagon posts, The Hill adds.
In July McCain said that he did not want the White House to nominate any more executives from the top five defense firms to run the Pentagon. Trump then nominated Esper in late July as his third choice to be the top Army civilian. The previous two nominees withdrew their names from consideration. Billionaire Vincent Viola took himself out of the running in February after saying it would be too difficult to untangle himself from his numerous business ties. And Tennessee state lawmaker Mark Green dropped out in May after facing criticism for controversial comments he has made on LGBT people, Islam, Hispanics, the Second Amendment and creationism, The Hill writes.
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