As we’ve noted on this blog before, many in the Senate have spent a remarkable amount of time and energy blocking well-qualified nominees to important Administration posts in an effort to score political points. Well, today we learn from Senate leaders that there are nearly 100 nominees waiting to get their final up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. That’s 16 times the number of nominees that were awaiting final confirmation at this point in George W. Bush’s presidency. And all told, there are 228 nominees currently pending in the Senate confirmation process. This extraordinary level of obstruction has caused a substantial backlog on the Senate Calendar; it’s long past time for Senate Republicans to live up to their responsibilities to vote on these nominees so they can get to work on behalf of the American people.
To put this in perspective, at this point in George W. Bush’s presidency, there were just 6 nominees on the Senate Calendar. We have 96 waiting for a final confirmation vote, including nominees to fill critical positions at the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the National Transportation Safety Board, and dozens of judges at the district court and appellate court level.
It is time for Senators to stop abusing their responsibility to provide advice and consent on these well-qualified nominees. The American people expect action from their public servants, and Senate Republicans should stop putting partisan gamesmanship ahead of their responsibility to serve the American people.
Below is a list of President Obama’s nominees currently awaiting a final floor vote in the Senate:
Fonte: White House