Senate Republicans Smash Obstructionist Tactics

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Senate Republicans Smash Obstructionist Tactics

GOP leaders overpower Democrat boycotts of nominee votes by suspending the rules

by Brendan Kirby | Updated 01 Feb 2017 at 12:37 PM

 

Senate Republicans pushed back against Democratic obstructionism Wednesday, suspending the rules to advance two Cabinet nominees out of committee and moving along the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) for attorney general, who had been held up.

 

After strident attacks on Sessions by a pair of Democratic senators, the Judiciary Committee on a party line, 11-9 vote, sent the nomination to the full Senate.

 

“They should be ashamed.”

 

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans suspended the rules requiring at least one Democratic member to be present at the Senate Finance Committee in order to vote on two other nominations. Votes for Steven Mnuchin for treasury secretary and Tom Price for health and human services secretary were supposed to take place Tuesday, but Democrats boycotted the votes.