By filibustering administration nominees for State and Homeland Security Department job vacancies, Republicans are playing “games” while the nation remains under terrorist threat, so said Majority Leader Harry Reid this Tuesday morning on the floor of the US Senate.

Reid is frustrated with the opposition’s tactics. He says they have both “exloited” and “abused” Senate rules to grind government to a halt. Indeed, according to the Nevada senator, “Republicans have repeatedly asked fearful families to put their concerns on hold while they score political points.”

Positions that remain unfilled include that of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis and the US Representative to the Conference on Disarmament. For each, the White House has submitted candidates that are “exceptionally qualified,” said Reid.

“For political reasons, a handful of Republican senators are standing between these experts and their offices,” Reid complained—which is true. “And that means they are also standing between the American people and their security,” he added—which is something of a fear-mongering exaggeration that few people are likely to take seriously.