Fed up with the Republicans’ endless postponement of Loretta Lynch’s attorney general confirmation, a group of activists is staging a hunger strike.
The group, which consists of female civil rights leaders and members of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, announced today that they would only be eating every other day until Lynch, whose nomination has been on the table for five months, is confirmed.
“As long as the Senate refuses to take 15 minutes to confirm someone for attorney general that they have already confirmed twice for U.S. attorney, [National Action Network] will do everything in our power to draw attention to this completely unfair and unnecessary delay to vote to confirm Loretta Lynch,” Sharpton said in a statement.
However, there is no end in sight. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) said at a conference yesterday that Lynch’s confirmation could be pushed back weeks until senators are able to review legislation that relates to Iran. Previously, Republican senators said that Lynch’s vote would be delayed until they were able to vote on a sex trafficking bill.
President Obama nominated Lynch in November, two months after current attorney general Eric Holder announced his resignation. Since November, though, Republican senators have postponed the vote, originally wanting to wait until the new congressional term began back in January. This is the longest that any attorney general nominee has ever had to wait for a confirmation.
The hunger strike comes one month a group of women marched on Capitol Hill, demanding to know the hold-up.
“We stand with Loretta Lynch and are so in support of this cause that we are willing to sacrifice our daily meals to impress upon the U.S. Senate that it’s time to call for a vote,” NAN Executive Director Janaye Ingram said in a statement.