Today marks the start of the 116th Congress, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also begins the year without a quorum. The Senate missed the Jan. 2 deadline to confirm three nominees to the civil rights agency, meaning that the Trump administration must start the process again from scratch.
A lack of quorum means the EEOC doesn’t have the authority to green light new policy decisions, certain big ticket lawsuits, and significant spending. The commission is also still shuttered by the partial government shutdown, and operating at less than 5 percent of its typical capacity.
Three nominees, two for the ...