Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) moved to speed President Barack Obama’s controversial National Labor Relations Board nominees and several other nominees through Senate confirmation on Thursday afternoon.
Reid ended debate on five NLRB nominees, two of whom were unconstitutionally appointed in 2012, the same day he introduced them to the Senate floor.
Republicans have pledged to block the re-appointments of board members Sharon Block and Richard Griffin because they ignored a federal court ruling that declared their presence on the board unconstitutional.
Obama recess-appointed the pair to the board while the Senate was still in pro forma session in January 2012. Republicans struck a deal In January 2013 with Democrats that they would approve any nominees to the board with the exception of Block and Griffin, according to Senate sources. Obama ignored the deal, re-nominating them to the post.
"The administration knew exactly what would happen if they re-nominated the people who were declared illegal appointments by the court," a GOP Senate aide told the Washington Free Beacon on condition of anonymity. "They’re under intense pressure from Big Labor to move these guys forward."
Powerful labor groups have pressured Democrats to invoke the nuclear option to push through the controversial, union-friendly nominees. AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka demanded that Reid "pull the trigger" on the rule change on Wednesday, while the Communication Workers of America threatened to withdraw support from any Democrat who votes against the nuclear option.
Reid ended debate just hours after he announced his intention to invoke the "nuclear option" to rush nominees through the Senate with a majority vote, rather than the 60-vote margin required by Senate rules. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said that Reid and Obama manufactured the nomination fights, in order to put pressure on Republicans.
"This is really a sad, sad day for the U.S. Senate," he said following Reid’s announcement. "[Reid] is going to be remembered as the worst president of U.S. Senate ever … he fundamentally changed the body of the Senate."
Senate Democrats and Republicans plan on meeting on Monday night to discuss alternatives to the nuclear option. A vote is expected Tuesday.