Blockade removed?
Nuclear Options?
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won approval April 3 for a huge reduction in the amount of time the upper chamber can debate most presidential nominees, from 30 to two hours.
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, had to raise points of order after the Senate voted on cloture motions to limit debate on President Donald Trump’s nominations of Jeffrey Kessler as an assistant secretary of commerce and Roy Altman as a federal district court judge.
Both of McConnell’s points of order were each sustained on appeal with simple majorities, 51–48, and the two-hour debate limit was established for sub-cabinet and federal district court judgeship presidential appointments.
“Jeffrey Kessler of Virginia was first nominated to serve as assistant secretary of commerce in November of 2017,” McConnell said.
“It took seven months before Democrats on the finance committee allowed his nomination to be considered, but when it was, Mr. Kessler was reported out by a unanimous vote. Nobody opposed him on the finance committee.
“And the familiar story continues. Another six months of inaction. The nomination was sent back to the White House at the end of the last Congress. So, the process started all over again.
“This time, he got a voice vote in the finance committee. Everybody just said ‘aye.’ And yet, here on the floor, inexplicably, it has still required a cloture motion to break through the obstruction and get this unobjectionable nominee—that no one voted against—a vote.
“This is not a bad day for the Senate. This is the day we end this outrageous obstruction.”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/mcconnell-led-senate-gop-nukes-democratic-delays-on-most-trump-nominees_2865678.html