A week after Louisiana’s senators dropped holds blocking confirmation of Lt. Gen. Robert L. Van Antwerp Jr. to be the Army Corps of Engineers’ commander, the Senate had yet to approve him. Sources say they’ve heard at least one other senator is delaying approval. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) does not have a hold on Van Antwerp or a blanket hold on all nominees, says Liz Oxhorn, a Reid spokeswoman.
Louisiana Senators Mary Landrieu (D) and David Vitter (R) lifted their holds on Van Antwerp in late April after he answered questions and met other criteria they had set. “He’s going to be confirmed. It’s just a matter of time,” says John Doyle, Waterways Council Inc. vice president for government relations.