This week a lot will be on the line with Obama's three high level executive nominations coming before the Senate. For judicial nominations there has been progress this year as the level of foot dragging seen in the previous 4 years has dissipated.
"In fact, so far this year, foot-dragging on the Senate floor hasn’t been a problem for judicial selections. Currently, the nominees who have waited for the longest time at that stage are one who was approved by the Judiciary Committee in April and two from May — and two of those have been cleared for final confirmation votes next week, when the Senate returns from recess. And there are only two other lifetime appointment judges on the Senate calendar right now."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/07/03/here-comes-senate-showdown-july/
What happens this week with these executive nominees is going to give us a good indication of how this month will go. These are picks that the GOP may well see as controversial:
"We still don’t know — Republicans don’t seem to know — whether Millet and the other two recent D.C. Circuit court nominees will be widely opposed by Republicans, or just receive some relatively token opposition. Indeed: As long as there are six votes for cloture, most Republicans can oppose them, and every single Republican can vote against final confirmation without stopping them."
"At any rate, the first showdown in July is likely to be executive branch nominations. While many of the minor and uncontroversial ones have been confirmed — hey, compared with Barack Obama’s first term, that’s progress! — several key posts remain. There’s Richard Cordray, nominated to be Director of the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, ready for a vote since March (and since Obama’s first term), but blocked so far by a filibuster. There’s Gina McCarthy, designated as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. There’s Thomas Perez, selected for secretary of labor. And there are five picks for the National Labor Relations Board."
We know all too well the GOP antipathy for both the NLRB and the BCFP. Gina McCarthy will be a potential key ally for the President as he executes his climate control policy largely via the executive order-due toCongress' dereliction of it's role as genuine partner to the President.
Either way, we’ll start to learn what Republicans are going to do next Wednesday, and then soon after when the Judiciary Committee actually votes on Millet. Will committee Republicans oppose her? If so, will it be based (at least publicly) on something in her record, or will they really oppose her (and thus every D.C. Circuit nominee) because that bench supposedly already has enough judges?
"In fact, so far this year, foot-dragging on the Senate floor hasn’t been a problem for judicial selections. Currently, the nominees who have waited for the longest time at that stage are one who was approved by the Judiciary Committee in April and two from May — and two of those have been cleared for final confirmation votes next week, when the Senate returns from recess. And there are only two other lifetime appointment judges on the Senate calendar right now."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/07/03/here-comes-senate-showdown-july/
What happens this week with these executive nominees is going to give us a good indication of how this month will go. These are picks that the GOP may well see as controversial:
"We still don’t know — Republicans don’t seem to know — whether Millet and the other two recent D.C. Circuit court nominees will be widely opposed by Republicans, or just receive some relatively token opposition. Indeed: As long as there are six votes for cloture, most Republicans can oppose them, and every single Republican can vote against final confirmation without stopping them."
"At any rate, the first showdown in July is likely to be executive branch nominations. While many of the minor and uncontroversial ones have been confirmed — hey, compared with Barack Obama’s first term, that’s progress! — several key posts remain. There’s Richard Cordray, nominated to be Director of the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, ready for a vote since March (and since Obama’s first term), but blocked so far by a filibuster. There’s Gina McCarthy, designated as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. There’s Thomas Perez, selected for secretary of labor. And there are five picks for the National Labor Relations Board."
We know all too well the GOP antipathy for both the NLRB and the BCFP. Gina McCarthy will be a potential key ally for the President as he executes his climate control policy largely via the executive order-due toCongress' dereliction of it's role as genuine partner to the President.
Either way, we’ll start to learn what Republicans are going to do next Wednesday, and then soon after when the Judiciary Committee actually votes on Millet. Will committee Republicans oppose her? If so, will it be based (at least publicly) on something in her record, or will they really oppose her (and thus every D.C. Circuit nominee) because that bench supposedly already has enough judges?
Both the fate of many Obama policies and the near-term fate of the Senate are up for grabs. Senators are playing for high stakes here.
If the GOP filibusters these 3 nominees this is what Harry Reid has promised will trigger the 'nuclear option.' Yep, a lot is at stake.
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