The Senate voted 52-47 to adopt a block of 97 Trump Administration nominees using the new process to confirm nominees in blocks instead of individually. A final vote to confirm the nominees is expected early next week. The new package includes the nominations of both James Murphy and Scott Mayer to be members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Crystal Carey to be NLRB General Counsel. Once Murphy and Mayer are sworn in, the NLRB will regain its quorum and be able to start issuing opinions immediately.
The package also includes: (1) Henry Mack to be the Labor Department’s (DOL) Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training (which oversees registered apprenticeship and DOL’s guestworker programs); (2) Rosario Palmieri to be the DOL Assistant Secretary for Policy; (3) former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) to be DOL Inspector General; (4) James Percival to be General Counsel of Homeland Security; (5) Jeffrey Hall to be Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); (6) Douglas Troutman to be Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances at the EPA; and (7) Edward Forst to be Administrator of the General Services Administration.