Obama: Senate Delay on Lynch Confirmation Is 'Embarrassing'

 President Barack Obama said on Friday it is embarrassing that the U.S. Senate still has not voted on confirmation of his attorney general nominee, Loretta Lynch.

Responding to a question at a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Obama said the U.S. Congress has shown signs of bipartisanship in the past several weeks, citing a recently passed bill on doctor pay.

But he criticized the Senate for waiting so long on Lynch, who has been eligible to be confirmed by the 100-member body since late February.

"There are times where the dysfunction in the Senate just goes too far. This is an example of it," Obama said. "This is embarrassing, a process like this."

Senate Republicans previously said they would delay bringing Lynch's confirmation up for a vote until they could pass a human trafficking bill, which Democrats oppose for its restrictions on abortions.

Republicans currently are negotiating a deal on the bill that may drop the abortion language and move it toward passage.