Landrieu Blocking Lew Confirmation Over Drilling Ban

Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu said she will block Jack Lew’s confirmation to lead the White House budget office until the administration lifts or “significantly” modifies its moratorium on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

The ban is having a “devastating impact on the economy of the Gulf Coast,” she wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “I have done everything within my power to get this administration’s attention. But the policy remains in effect and Louisiana’s economy continues to suffer.”