WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - U.S. business groups urged Senate leaders on Wednesday to end months of delay and quickly approve President Barack Obama's nominees for five key international posts.
"These vacancies matter, and the passage of each week places America at a larger disadvantage in leveling the global playing field," the National Association of Manufacturers and other groups said in a letter.
The five nominees included Miriam Sapiro, who was nominated to be deputy U.S. trade representative on April 20 and won the unanimous backing of the Senate Finance Committee in July.
But her nomination has been stalled by Republican Senator Jim Bunning in an attempt to put pressure on the administration to address concerns he has about new Canadian legislation banning flavored tobacco.
The business groups also urged "swift action" on the nominations of Francisco Sanchez to be under secretary of Commerce for international trade; Lael Brainard for under secretary of Treasury for international affairs; Arturo Valenzuela for assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs; and Thomas Shannon for ambassador to Brazil.
Sanchez and Brainard have yet to receive hearings before the Senate Finance Committee, while Valenzuela and Shannon are awaiting full Senate votes after winning the approval of the Foreign Relations Committee in July.
Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said at the Reuters Washington Summit this week the Obama administration shared some of the responsibility for the delays.
"I bet half of the holdups are just because you want information, you want the constitutional authority of checks and balances and oversight to work," Grassley said.
"I'm blocking the ambassador to Spain because I want some information on the National Service Corporation. You know, just why did they fire the Inspector General," he said.
Other groups who signed the letter include the Council of the Americas, the Coalition of Service Industries, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Foreign Trade Council and the Emergency Committee for American Trade. (Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Chris Wilson)