Jennifer Abruzzo, President
The divided Senate voted 51-50 to limit debate on Abruzzo’s nomination Tuesday, with Harris appearing in the chamber to break the partisan deadlock. The Senate is expected to hold a final vote to confirm Abruzzo this week, and Harris may again be needed to push Biden’s nominee across the finish line.
A longtime NLRB and union attorney, Abruzzo faced scrutiny from Republicans on the chamber’s labor panel over her alleged role in preparations for Biden’s decision to fire Peter Robb, the NLRB’s top lawyer during the Trump era, on Inauguration Day. The labor committee had deadlocked on Abruzzo, which required a vote by the full chamber to advance her to the floor.
The full Republican conference was united in opposition Tuesday. Senate Minority Leader
“Where Senate confirmation and fixed terms were supposed to create independence, this administration just wanted partisan loyalty,” he said, according to his prepared remarks.
Businesses have sued over actions that NLRB Acting General Counsel Peter Sung Ohr has taken since Biden appointed him to the role after firing Robb and Robb’s replacement, Alice Stock. They’ve argued the president doesn’t have the authority to fire the general counsel of an independent agency because the NLRB and others like it are supposed to be removed from White House influence.
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
To read more articles log in. Learn more about a Bloomberg Law subscription