Senate Democrats block two Trump Cabinet picks by boycotting vote

WASHINGTON — Led by Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Ron Wyden of Oregon, a clutch of Senate Democrats temporarily blocked committee votes on two of Trump’s Cabinet nominees Tuesday by refusing to participate in a vote.

The Senate Finance Committee was scheduled to vote Tuesday morning on Steve Mnuchin, tapped by the new president to be Treasury secretary. But Brown and other Democrats refused to attend the session, thus denying Republicans a quorum and preventing the vote from occurring.

The committee was also scheduled to vote Tuesday on Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, GOP Rep. Tom Price of Georgia.

Brown has vociferously opposed Mnuchin, and his spokeswoman said Tuesday that he organized the boycott at the last minute.

Brown has objected to Mnuchin’s "cozy ties to Wall Street" and sharply questioned his leadership of a bank that was involved in questionable foreclosure practices.

Mnuchin "failed to answer critical questions about the fortune he made while military service members, seniors, and working families got kicked out of their homes,” Brown said in a Jan. 19 statement announcing his opposition to the nominee.

Republicans on the panel blasted the move as an unprecedented “dereliction of duty” and a partisan jab that would damage comity in the Senate.

There's a difference between using parliamentary procedure and just not showing up to work.

I hope they send those fuckers home without pay when they do finally show up.

There's a difference between using parliamentary procedure and just not showing up to work.

Are you referring to last year? What was parliamentary about refusing to do your job?

They refused to hold a vote. Its a power they have. Those pesky checks and balances......

Democrats engage in the same activity they decried for the past 8 years.

Republicans decry the same activity they engaged in for the past 8 years.

And the world keeps spinning.

They've both done it 8 million times.

I've predicted MANY times that the filibuster is going bye bye this year. I can't wait to see the outcry when that happens. And then people will politely point out that Mr Reid upended part just a few short years ago.

The Democracy is barely functioning. Obama was basically forced to take executive action because Congress wouldn't do anything. He was using recess appointments just to fill vacancies. Immigration is massively broken. They haven't passed a regular budget in forever. The co-equal branches have basically come down to a fight between the executive and judicial as Congress sits on the sidelines and opens up a dozen Benghazi investigations.

somebody tell me again how we need to focus on STEM education and forget about that silly history and civics stuff....

I've predicted MANY times that the filibuster is going bye bye this year. I can't wait to see the outcry when that happens. And then people will politely point out that Mr Reid upended part just a few short years ago.

The Democracy is barely functioning. Obama was basically forced to take executive action because Congress wouldn't do anything. He was using recess appointments just to fill vacancies. Immigration is massively broken. They haven't passed a regular budget in forever. The co-equal branches have basically come down to a fight between the executive and judicial as Congress sits on the sidelines and opens up a dozen Benghazi investigations.

somebody tell me again how we need to focus on STEM education and forget about that silly history and civics stuff....

[My undergrad is in BioChem, and I had exactly three BioChem classes in a 120 credit program. No shock to me, when I went into the workforce to find a job, I am told that you need a Master's degree and really a phd in this field to do anything more than run lab equipment.

It was a good move that the Senators

Well, maybe you're referring to my strong feelings on the matter. There's a lot of value in learning history and certainly in understanding how government functions. My comments on this matter are merely about educating people for real world jobs that pay enough money to cover the cost of a college education.

My first two years at college as a pre-Med/BioChem undergrad were in the following types of classes:

-English,
-Sociology,
-Psychology,
-Symbol Logic,
-British History,
-American History,
-Government systems,
-Roman Civ

My undergrad is in BioChem, and I had exactly three BioChem classes in a 120 credit program. No shock to me, when I went into the workforce to find a job, I am told that you need a Master's degree and really a phd in this field to do anything more than run lab equipment.

So the Dems decide to not participate in a vote and that's not "doing their job?"

That is so weird Dennis. My daughter is in her second semester of a Pitt BioChem undergrad. She already has had some gen ed obviously but has taken or is taking Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology and corresponding labs as well as Calculus.

so what you are saying is that all your math and science classes in high school and college were worthless?

That is so weird Dennis. My daughter is in her second semester of a Pitt BioChem undergrad. She already has had some gen ed obviously but has taken or is taking Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology and corresponding labs as well as Calculus.