By now, most Americans know that Democrats in the United States Senate have been slow-walking President Donald J. Trump’s cabinet nominations, making it extremely difficult for this White House to implement its policy agenda.
President Trump has been in office for just over one month, and he still has four cabinet members yet to be approved by the Senate, and an additional two cabinet-level officials waiting to be confirmed.
But one of the president’s nominees, who is also one of our favorite conservatives, just received some amazing news!
Dr. Ben Carson, who was one of Trump’s 2016 Republican primary opponents, finally had his nomination to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development advanced to the full Senate.
#BREAKING: Senate advances Ben Carson’s nomination to lead HUD https://t.co/DSGFa6HdxI pic.twitter.com/ldEOaYSjz9
— The Hill (@thehill) March 1, 2017
From The Hill:
The final vote tally was 62-37, with 10 Democrats joining all Republicans to support Carson. He needed a simple majority to be approved. Absent a deal, a final vote on his nomination could take place on Thursday morning if Democrats drag out the remaining 30 hours of debate time.
Carson isn’t considered a top target for Democrats and wasn’t included on a list of eight nominees who they were expected to oppose. But his nomination has divided top lawmakers. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) came out against Carson, and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters that he had objections to his nomination. But liberal Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) supported his nomination during the committee vote. However, Warren voted against cloture for Carson on Wednesday.
Warren had defended her vote for Carson in committee, amid backlash from outside liberal groups. “Yes, he is not the nominee I wanted. But ‘the nominee I wanted’ is not the test,” she wrote in a Facebook post at the time. The Senate Banking Committee approved Carson in late January.
Predictably, those on the left reacted strongly to Dr. Carson’s nomination moving forward:
Elizabeth Warren, after receiving an earful from left for voting for Ben Carson in committee, just switched to vote against him on cloture.
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) March 1, 2017
#RESIST Ben Carson NO EXPER 2 run HUD; his retrograde statements on fair housing rules r a threat to the civil rights. RT & call Congress
— Sally Deal #DemForce (@SallyDeal4) March 1, 2017
It’s outrageous that more than a month into his presidency, Democrats have prevented President Trump from having his full cabinet in place to implement his agenda. This type of stonewalling is the worst political theater imaginable and should be condemned by people of both political parties.
Do you think it’s shameful that Democrats continue to delay Trump’s cabinet nominees? Share your thoughts below!