Staff Reports
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is up to his old tricks again, taking advantage of the low Republican attendance to push through President Joe Biden’s nominee for a top Labor Department position. The nominee in question, Jose Javier Rodriguez, has been stuck in nomination limbo for far too long, but Schumer is determined to finally get his way.
Schumer’s office confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the vote to advance Rodriguez’s nomination as assistant secretary of labor will be happening this week. This comes on the heels of a previous failed attempt to advance the nomination, but Schumer isn’t one to give up easily. He’s filed cloture on the motion, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets his way.
Schumer attempting to sneak a nominee through.
Schumer trying to advance long-stalled Labor nominee with Republicans out of town https://t.co/9uB1gsBaDR
— steve lowe (@jslowe1949) December 20, 2023
It’s no surprise that Schumer is making his move now, with the Senate being virtually deserted due to the Christmas recess. But while most Republican senators are off enjoying their holiday break, the Democrats are holding down the fort in Washington. This gives Schumer the perfect opportunity to push through Rodriguez’s nomination, without much opposition from the other side.
Rodriguez, a workers’ rights attorney and former Florida state senator, has been waiting in the wings for over two years for his shot at leading the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration. The nomination process has been riddled with roadblocks, from a deadlock in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to a failed vote last November. But now, with the odds seemingly stacked in his favor, Schumer is ready to make sure Rodriguez finally gets the job he’s been waiting for.
It’s a classic power play by Schumer, taking advantage of a situation that heavily favors his party and the Biden administration. With the wind at his back and the Republicans out of the picture, there’s little standing in the way of Rodriguez’s long-awaited confirmation. But as we all know, in the world of politics, anything can happen.
