On Wednesday, two outgoing independent senators voted to reject Joe Biden’s latest nominee for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), shutting down Biden’s attempt to influence labor policy in the coming second Trump Administration.
As the Daily Caller reports, Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.V.), both former Democrats, voted against Lauren McFerran’s nomination during a procedural vote. They sided with all Republicans present, ultimately allowing a narrow majority to kill the nomination. Both senators are retiring from Congress at the end of this term, with Sinema to be replaced by Senator-elect Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Manchin being succeeded by Senator-elect Jim Justice (R-W.V.).
“Under Chairman McFerran’s leadership, the NLRB passed and sought to implement a joint employer rule that would have imposed unnecessary regulations jeopardizing thousands of small businesses, their employees, and the communities they serve,” said Manchin in a statement after the vote. “I came to the U.S. Senate to empower small businesses to do what they do best, create jobs and grow our economy, and that’s why I voted against her nomination.”
As a result of the rejection of Biden’s nominee, President-elect Donald Trump will have a chance to nominate his own candidate for the NLRB, which would prevent the board from being ruled by a Democratic majority.
Following the vote, outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) complained about the failed nomination in his own statement, baselessly calling it “a direct attack on working people, and incredibly troubling that this highly qualified nominee — with a proven track record of protecting worker rights — did not have the votes.”
McFarren had faced accusations of misconduct during her tenure as chair of the NLRB, primarily for her efforts to administer secret ballot elections and to incorporate greater union activism in the private sector.
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