Williams' nomination passes committee but will Grassley stop it?

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07/31/08

Williams' nomination passes committee, but will Grassley stop it?

By Matthew Weigelt

The nomination of Jim Williams as administrator of the General Services Administration was approved unanimously today by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and sent to the full Senate.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the committee’s chairman, said he was satisfied with Williams’ answers regarding a controversy involving Sun Microsystems, and called Williams an outstanding candidate for the position.

Lieberman and the committee's ranking member, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), said they questioned Williams extensively regarding his role in renegotiations of a contract with Sun, which stirred controversy. The contract raised concerns about whether the company had not provided the government with the appropriate discounts on its products and services.

“I don’t know if his actions were perfect in retrospect, but I am convinced that his motivations were always in the best interest of the taxpayers,” Collins said. “I believe he is the ideal person for this position at a very critical time.”

However, as reported July 29, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) is expected to put a hold on the nomination, which would keep the Senate from considering Williams. (Read more here.)

Matthew Weigelt writes for Federal Computer Week, an 1105 Government Information Group publication.