Senate Approves DOL Training Arm Nominee After Long Wait

The Senate finally confirmed José Javier Rodríguez to a top post at the US Labor Department following over two and half years of waiting and one failed vote.

The chamber voted 50-48 to confirm Rodríguez as head of the Employment and Training Administration, the DOL’s largest subagency. Two Democrats had previously blocked Rodríguez from the role, voting against his nomination during a procedural cloture vote in November.

Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) again voted against Rodríguez, a former Florida state legislator, because of his “political activism and lack of experience.” But Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.) switched his vote on the nomination, ...