NYT reported a “personnel crisis” at the State Department due to Nord Stream 2

Republican Senator Ted Cruz is delaying the approval of dozens of candidates for posts in the US State Department , including 59 ambassadors, in an attempt to get the US administration to take tougher action against Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. it is reported by The New York Times.

Cruz can't single-handedly block President Joe Biden's proposed State Department appointments, but the lack of "unanimous agreement" in the Senate has slowed the process considerably. Officials in the US administration call the current situation a personnel crisis, writes NYT.

The Republican is abusing his position and endangering national security, Democrats are convinced. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Robert Menendez called the situation unprecedented. According to him, we are talking about "a complete delay in the approval of all candidates, regardless of whether they have any relation to the political issue under consideration."

According to the NYT, due to Cruz's actions, the appointment of US ambassadors to countries such as CHINA , Egypt and Germany, as well as the approval of key candidates at the State Department and the US Agency for International Development, could drag on for months.