Historic Obstruction From Senate Democrats Continues
‘Over and over again, we’ve had to file cloture and exhaust floor time on amply-qualified nominees who then soar through their confirmation votes by lopsided margins. Since President Trump took office, the Senate has had to hold eighty-two cloture votes on judicial and executive nominations. In the first two full years of President Obama’s administration, there were only 12 such cloture votes... The numbers speak for themselves.'
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the need to confirm more of the president’s well-qualified nominees:
“Yesterday, the Senate confirmed the first of six nominees slated for consideration this week -- Claria Horn Boom, to serve as District Judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky. She was confirmed ninety-six to one. Just one Senator in opposition. This is the kind of uncontroversial nomination the Senate could typically dispatch by voice vote. But not these days.
“Over and over again, we’ve had to file cloture and exhaust floor time on amply-qualified nominees who then soar through their confirmation votes by lopsided margins. Since President Trump took office, the Senate has had to hold eighty-two cloture votes on judicial and executive nominations.
“In the first two full years of President Obama’s administration, there were only 12 such cloture votes. Twelve for President Obama, four for President George W. Bush, eight for President Clinton. And already, just a few months into President Trump’s second year -- eighty-two. The numbers speak for themselves.
“Well, today, we’ll have the opportunity to confirm yet another qualified nominee for a critical post. John Ring’s nomination to serve on the National Labor Relations Board is an important next step to continue cleaning years of regulatory rust off of the American economy. It’s a natural addition to the progress we’ve made scaling back unhelpful regulations that make it harder for American businesses to create jobs, and make opportunities for American workers more scarce.
“Mr. Ring’s confirmation will give the country a fully-staffed NLRB once again, and turn the page on the previous administration’s efforts to remake this bipartisan board into a one-sided political weapon. Even in a short amount of time last year, we saw just how much good a fully-functioning NLRB can do for American workers when it calls balls and strikes fairly, instead of bending over backwards to meet every demand of Big Labor. Today, we’ll have the chance to get things back to normal for the long term. Mr. Ring has a distinguished record in labor negotiation. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm him today.
“After Mr. Ring, the Senate will turn to the nomination of Patrick Pizzella to serve as Deputy Secretary of Labor. The fact that this cabinet agency has gone fifteen months without its number-two official is yet another testament to the historic obstruction visited on this administration by Senate Democrats. He has been sitting on the calendar for six months, despite his ample qualifications. I urge all our colleagues to vote to finally advance Mr. Pizzella’s nomination.”
Related Issues: Nominations, Judicial Nominations, Labor
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