{"id":20817,"date":"2017-01-31T06:15:36","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T06:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=20817"},"modified":"2017-01-31T06:15:36","modified_gmt":"2017-01-31T06:15:36","slug":"senate-democrats-aim-limited-firepower-trumps-nominees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/senate-democrats-aim-limited-firepower-trumps-nominees.html","title":{"rendered":"Senate Democrats Aim Their Limited Firepower at Trump’s Nominees"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Senate Democrats Aim Their Limited Firepower at Trump’s Nominees<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Senate Democrats Aim Their Limited Firepower at Trump’s Nominees:-<\/strong> Bolstered by a growing backlash to President Trump\u2019s immigration order, Senate Democrats on Monday steeled themselves to slow the confirmation of cabinet nominees, dimming prospects for cooperation with the new White House.<\/span><\/p>\n

But each Democratic demand for procedural minutiae and details on nominees\u2019 stances on Mr. Trump\u2019s travel ban illuminated an immutable fact: There is little Democrats can do to stop Republicans from ramming through both Mr. Trump\u2019s cabinet and their policy agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, set the tone as lawmakers straggled back to Washington from a weekend extended by their political party retreats. He released a list of eight Trump cabinet nominees he intended to oppose, including Representative Tom Price of Georgia, for secretary of health and human services, and Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Schumer also voiced steadfast opposition to Rex W. Tillerson, the nominee for secretary of state; Betsy DeVos, chosen for secretary of education; and Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, nominated for attorney general. \u201cNothing will change that,\u201d Mr. Schumer said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Republicans hardened their resolve, as well, ignoring Democratic calls to delay a Monday evening procedural vote on Mr. Tillerson\u2019s nomination until he clarifies his position on Mr. Trump\u2019s executive order barring immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The Senate voted, 56 to 43, to move forward, setting up a final confirmation vote that is expected to come on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

A committee vote on Ms. DeVos\u2019s nomination is set for Tuesday, a week later than planned after Democrats requested time to ask her more questions. Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee and the committee\u2019s chairman, refused a request for another delay.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe there are still many unanswered questions remaining about her tangled finances, potential conflicts of interest and plans to privatize and defund public education,\u201d said Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the committee\u2019s top Democrat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Democrats succeeded in postponing a committee vote on Steven Mnuchin, Mr. Trump\u2019s treasury secretary nominee \u2014 though only by a few hours. His vote has been rescheduled for Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Committee votes are expected on Tuesday on the nominations of Mr. Price and Mr. Sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota, said in a recent MSNBC interview that he expected all Democrats to oppose Ms. DeVos. Yet they will ultimately have no recourse to block Mr. Trump\u2019s cabinet nominees without Republican votes. Democrats did away with the option to filibuster cabinet picks in 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Senate has traditionally deferred to first-term presidents assembling their teams; according to the Senate Historical Office, only once has the Senate rejected a cabinet nominee for a president just starting out. That nominee was John G. Tower, who was nominated for defense secretary by President George Bush in 1989. He was rejected by a 53-to-47 vote amid concerns about potential conflicts of interest and his personal life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Frustrated by Republicans\u2019 insistence last year on stalling President Barack Obama\u2019s nomination of Merrick B. Garland to the Supreme Court, Democrats are less interested in playing nice on nominations, and there is a sense that Mr. Trump\u2019s immigration order only worsened matters.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Mr. Trump teased the prime-time television announcement of his Supreme Court nominee, scheduled for Tuesday, Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon became the first Democrat to vow to block any nominee other than Mr. Garland. It was a potent threat, considering Supreme Court nominees can still be filibustered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy point is that this is a stolen seat,\u201d Mr. Merkley said in an interview on Monday. He said that because Republicans refused to even hold a hearing on Mr. Garland\u2019s nomination, no other nominee was a \u201clegitimate\u201d pick.<\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, criticized Democrats for suggesting they would probably block whomever Mr. Trump nominated. The argument is sure to raise Democratic ire considering Mr. McConnell\u2019s vow less than a year ago to block anyone Mr. Obama nominated shortly after Justice Antonin Scalia\u2019s death.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Senate should respect the result of the election and treat this newly elected president\u2019s nominee in the same way that nominees of other newly elected presidents have been treated,\u201d Mr. McConnell said on Monday. \u201cAnd that is with careful consideration, followed by an up-or-down vote.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Democrats returned to the Capitol indignant over Mr. Trump\u2019s immigration order, which played out in scenes of confusion and anguish at airports around the United States as even permanent residents were ensnared in the abrupt policy shift. But the lawmakers were also invigorated by a second straight weekend of nationwide protests.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the evening approached, Mr. Schumer called for a vote on a Democratic bill that would overturn Mr. Trump\u2019s immigration order, a request that requires consent from majority Republicans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo many of you know it\u2019s wrong,\u201d Mr. Schumer said on the Senate floor, appealing to his Republican colleagues. \u201cI understand party loyalty, I do. But this order goes so against the American grain that there are higher values at stake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, objected, and effectively ended the discussion. With little more they could do, Democrats bundled up and, clutching fake tea lights, crossed the street for a rally against the immigration order on the steps of the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/01\/30\/us\/politics\/senate-democrats-trump-nominees.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=sectionfront<\/span><\/div>\n

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