Senate Confirms 27 Obama Nominees
By KATE PHILLIPS
NYT
Updated: Before leaving for the President’s Day break, the Senate tonight confirmed — by unanimous consent — 27 of President Obama’s nominees to federal positions, under a threat made earlier this week by the president that he might make recess appointments not requiring Senate votes. None of these seemed controversial; the senators approved these amid a backlog of presidential nominations and holds on some.
The action was taken after President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned earlier this week that the weeklong holiday recess might provide an opportunity for the president to make recess appointments, a threat underscoring an intent to break the logjam on some key people who have waited months to be confirmed. (A key Democratic chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy of the Judiciary committee, was quoted today as saying that perhaps Mr. Obama should consider doing so for Dawn Johnsen, who has been nominated to head the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department. She’s been among those most opposed by Republicans — and one of the nominees stalled the longest — because of her work years ago with abortion rights groups and her views on Bush administration interrogation policies, among other reasons.)
Fingerpointing for the stalling has been rampant. Earlier this week, Republicans blocked the confirmation of Craig Becker, a labor lawyer, to a seat on the National Labor Relations Board, which has been operating (some would say not) with only two of its five members for a few years. At an impromptu news conference the other day, just before a procedural vote on Mr. Becker, Mr. Obama complained that he wanted Republicans to stop holding up his nominees.
Update: After the Senate’s moves, the White House tonight issued a statement by Mr. Obama, in which he welcomed the votes, and seemed to signal he would not be making recess appointments anytime soon.
(More here.)
NYT
Updated: Before leaving for the President’s Day break, the Senate tonight confirmed — by unanimous consent — 27 of President Obama’s nominees to federal positions, under a threat made earlier this week by the president that he might make recess appointments not requiring Senate votes. None of these seemed controversial; the senators approved these amid a backlog of presidential nominations and holds on some.
The action was taken after President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned earlier this week that the weeklong holiday recess might provide an opportunity for the president to make recess appointments, a threat underscoring an intent to break the logjam on some key people who have waited months to be confirmed. (A key Democratic chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy of the Judiciary committee, was quoted today as saying that perhaps Mr. Obama should consider doing so for Dawn Johnsen, who has been nominated to head the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department. She’s been among those most opposed by Republicans — and one of the nominees stalled the longest — because of her work years ago with abortion rights groups and her views on Bush administration interrogation policies, among other reasons.)
Fingerpointing for the stalling has been rampant. Earlier this week, Republicans blocked the confirmation of Craig Becker, a labor lawyer, to a seat on the National Labor Relations Board, which has been operating (some would say not) with only two of its five members for a few years. At an impromptu news conference the other day, just before a procedural vote on Mr. Becker, Mr. Obama complained that he wanted Republicans to stop holding up his nominees.
Update: After the Senate’s moves, the White House tonight issued a statement by Mr. Obama, in which he welcomed the votes, and seemed to signal he would not be making recess appointments anytime soon.
(More here.)
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