[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":3722,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"(Bloomberg) \u2013 Facing a boycott from Democrats, a Senate panel took what it called emergency steps Wednesday to advance the nominations of Steven Mnuchin to run Treasury and Tom Price to head Health and Human Services.

The Senate Finance Committee moved to report both of President Donald Trump\u2019s nominees to the Senate floor on 14-0 votes, with only Republicans participating, after voting to suspend the panel\u2019s rules.

The unusual steps came one day after Democrats forced a delay on scheduled votes by boycotting the committee\u2019s meeting. Democrats say they need more time to scrutinize Trump\u2019s picks, but they can\u2019t block any of them if Republicans remain united.

Chairman Orrin Hatch defended his decision to take emergency measures to push the nominations forward.

Mike.Price2.Bloomberg.jpg<\/bsp-image>\u201cI don\u2019t care what they do, but the parliamentarian said this is a proper decision.\u201d he told reporters after the votes.

Democrats \u201cdidn\u2019t even have the courtesy to tell me they weren\u2019t going to show up yesterday and were holding press conferences out there without even talking to me. So I don\u2019t feel a bit sorry for them,\u201d Hatch said. \u201cI don\u2019t care what they want at this point. They\u2019ve proven that they don\u2019t act in good faith.\u201d

Few Options

Democrats could try to challenge the committee\u2019s actions when Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tries to bring the nominations up for a floor vote, but Republicans said they don\u2019t see any way for Democrats to block the picks at that point.

\u201cCloture is a simple majority thanks to the Democrats\u2019 nuclear option,\u201d said Don Stewart, a McConnell spokesman, referring to a rules change pushed through by Democrats in 2013 that lowered the threshold for most nominees.

Hatch told reporters afterward he didn\u2019t know when a floor vote would be scheduled on either nominee.

McConnell said Wednesday morning that Democrats couldn\u2019t do anything to stop Trump\u2019s nominees.

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna win this war,\u201d he said on Hugh Hewitt\u2019s radio show. \u201cThey can huff and they can puff, but they\u2019re not going to blow the House down. And we\u2019re going to confirm these nominees and move on with the business of this administration.\u201d","saveContent":"(Bloomberg) \u2013 Facing a boycott from Democrats, a Senate panel took what it called emergency steps Wednesday to advance the nominations of Steven Mnuchin to run Treasury and Tom Price to head Health and Human Services.

The Senate Finance Committee moved to report both of President Donald Trump\u2019s nominees to the Senate floor on 14-0 votes, with only Republicans participating, after voting to suspend the panel\u2019s rules.

The unusual steps came one day after Democrats forced a delay on scheduled votes by boycotting the committee\u2019s meeting. Democrats say they need more time to scrutinize Trump\u2019s picks, but they can\u2019t block any of them if Republicans remain united.

Chairman Orrin Hatch defended his decision to take emergency measures to push the nominations forward.

Mike.Price2.Bloomberg.jpg<\/bsp-image>\u201cI don\u2019t care what they do, but the parliamentarian said this is a proper decision.\u201d he told reporters after the votes.

Democrats \u201cdidn\u2019t even have the courtesy to tell me they weren\u2019t going to show up yesterday and were holding press conferences out there without even talking to me. So I don\u2019t feel a bit sorry for them,\u201d Hatch said. \u201cI don\u2019t care what they want at this point. They\u2019ve proven that they don\u2019t act in good faith.\u201d

Few Options

Democrats could try to challenge the committee\u2019s actions when Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tries to bring the nominations up for a floor vote, but Republicans said they don\u2019t see any way for Democrats to block the picks at that point.

\u201cCloture is a simple majority thanks to the Democrats\u2019 nuclear option,\u201d said Don Stewart, a McConnell spokesman, referring to a rules change pushed through by Democrats in 2013 that lowered the threshold for most nominees.

Hatch told reporters afterward he didn\u2019t know when a floor vote would be scheduled on either nominee.

McConnell said Wednesday morning that Democrats couldn\u2019t do anything to stop Trump\u2019s nominees.

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna win this war,\u201d he said on Hugh Hewitt\u2019s radio show. \u201cThey can huff and they can puff, but they\u2019re not going to blow the House down. And we\u2019re going to confirm these nominees and move on with the business of this administration.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Nomination of Price to head HHS advances

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