Washington, D.C.—Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement on Republican Sen. David Vitter inappropriately pressuring Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to approve offshore drilling permits:

“I have worked with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on this issue for weeks and it is wrong for Sen. Vitter to try to get something in return for moving forward on a matter that the Senate has considered routine for more than a century.

“Ken Salazar is extremely well-qualified, hard-working cabinet secretary, and deserves better than to be strong armed while trying to do an important job for the American people.”