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.