Republican Senator Had Objected To Confirmation Before The Election

South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint has put aside his objections to the confirmation of Michael Huerta as FAA Administrator. DeMint had been blocking the confirmation hearings until after the election, which would have allowed Governor Romney to make his own nomination for the post should he have been elected President.

The FAA administrator does not serve at the pleasure of the President, so had he been confirmed and Romney had been elected, Huerta would have continued in the post as an Obama appointee.

With the election decided and the White House not changing hands, DeMint, who will likely be named as the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee next year, removed his objection Tuesday, according to The Washinton Post. On the other side of the Capitol, Representative Tom Perti (R-WI), chair of the House Transportation Committee's Aviation Subcommittee, told Politico that Huerta "very qualified," adding "it's really helpful to have a confirmed person in place."

It was not immediately known if there were any other objections to the Huerta confirmation floating around in the Senate, or if the confirmation could be done by unanimous consent. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that Huerta might be confirmed as part of a group of non-controversial nominees.

FMI: www.demint.senate.gov