President Joe Biden selected L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti to be the next U.S. ambassador to India in July. But it is unknown when a Senate committee will hold a required hearing on the nomination.
The delay has created a sense of "limbo" at City Hall, The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday.
The confirmation process for all of Biden's diplomatic nominees are reportedly being held up by a group of Senate Republicans, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz, who sits on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has created a backlog in the nominee hearing process with demands for sanctions over the construction of a Russian oil pipeline to Germany.
The Senate has confirmed only two of Biden's 64 nominees for ambassadorial positions, according to the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service.
"If you’re betting right now, Garcetti is going to be in confirmation purgatory for a while," the Partnerhip's president and CEO Max Stier told The Times.
The holdup has instituted a somber mood at City Hall, observers have noted. Several of Garcetti's longest serving aides have departed the mayor's office, including Deputy Mayor Breelyn Pete. Overall, the office has seen a 15 percent drop off in staffing compared to this point last year, The Times reported.
"Mentally, physically, [Garcetti has] moved on," L.A. political strategist Rick Taylor told Times. "Most people I talk to think he’s a little disconnected from the day-to-day work of being the mayor, which is understandable."
Loyola Law School professor Jessica Levinson described the situation at city hall as "awkard" and feeling "like a break-up."
A spokesperson for Garcetti's office disputed those characterizations, noting that the mayor's schedule in L.A. remained full alongside several meetings he has taken in D.C. to advocate on the city's behalf.
"Mayor Garcetti is a remarkably hardworking public servant, and those of us who work with the mayor every day see that he is pushing as hard as ever for results and progress on his agenda," the spokesperson told The Times.
Some of the mayor's supporters have speculated, under the Foreign Relations Committee's extended timeline, Garcetti may end up completing his final term in office, negating the need for the L.A. City Council to nominate an acting mayor through next year's election.
The mayor said last week he expected his nomination to have a hearing in the Foreign Relations Committee before the end of 2021, but had not been made abreast of an exact date.
