Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said this week he wants President Trump to nominate a permanent secretary of defense and that he doesn’t think it should be Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan. Inhofe’s remarks came during a roundtable with reporters, according to Military Times.
He said that Shanahan lacks the “humility” that former secretary James Mattis had and that a Senate-confirmed secretary will have more credibility.
“If you’re an acting, you don’t have the force you need in the office,” Inhofe said.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson dodged a question on Politico’s Women Rule podcast about rumors she could be up for the job.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan in Afghanistan this week. DOD photo by Lisa Ferdinando
Post-Leadership, McConnell Plans to Push for More Defense Funding
When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell steps down from his Senate leadership role after the November elections, he’ll have at least two more years in the Senate. Now he’s signaled one of his priorities as a rank-and-file Senator is to increase defense funding,...
