Biden labor secretary pick's nomination on the rocks with Senate support unclear

Emily Jacobs

April 03, 07:08 PM April 03, 07:08 PM

Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su's nomination to the top job appears to be in jeopardy as some Senate Democrats facing tough reelection fights next year mull voting with a united GOP conference against her confirmation.

President Joe Biden nominated Su in February to replace outgoing Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, who left his post to lead the National Hockey League Players' Association. Her nomination has been met with heavy criticism from Senate Republicans based on her time leading California's Labor and Workforce Development Agency during the pandemic. On Su's watch, the state fulfilled between $20 billion and $32 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims, and roughly 5 million Californians saw their benefits payments severely delayed.

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The GOP conference has stood united in opposition to Su's nomination, meaning Senate Democrats can only afford one defection in her confirmation vote.

“I think it’s going to take some work,” Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that will vote on Su's nomination, told the Hill of getting her confirmed. “It’s sort of what they used to say about the NFL — on any given Sunday.”

Democrats currently control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, meaning that a single absence could give Republicans an opportunity to block Biden's nominees and legislative efforts. The fluctuating makeup of the Senate in recent months, caused by several absences from members of both parties, complicated Democrats' ability to push certain priorities through the chamber and underscored just how tenuous their majority is.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) will return to work on April 17 when the current recess ends after a six-week hospital stay for in-patient depression treatment that kept him from the chamber. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has been absent due to medical troubles since March, and her team has yet to say if she will be back at work when the Senate reconvenes later this month. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) was forced to miss votes when he traveled home after his mother died in late February, while Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) was absent for just under two weeks that month when he underwent surgery for prostate cancer.

On the GOP side, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was missing for most of March after suffering a fall that resulted in a two-week rehab stay. He is expected to return to the Senate after the recess, though that has not been confirmed.

The changing number of present senators is one of two major factors that have Su's nomination as labor secretary on the rocks.

Su barely survived her confirmation vote for the deputy secretary post in 2021, only being approved by a three-vote margin on party lines. While Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Tester (D-MT), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Angus King (I-ME) voted to confirm Su to the deputy post, none of the five have gotten behind her nomination to the top job.

Asked about his 2021 vote for Su, Manchin told reporters last week that his support was based on his confidence in Walsh.

"My vote for her last time was all predicated on Marty," he said before noting that he wanted someone like Walsh to replace him in the role. "I had Marty Walsh and I am looking for a Marty Walsh."

Manchin told Bloomberg Law last week that he would not make a decision on Su's nomination before her April 20 confirmation hearing, saying, "I haven’t gotten into that yet; I’m waiting till her hearing’s over. There’s concerns, I’m sure."

King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, told the outlet he has a meeting scheduled with Su where he expects to address policy issues related to independent contractors and the joint employer standard.

“They’re things I’m concerned about,” King said of her nomination.

Trump card: Forecast predicts Donald Trump is set to be the big winner on election night

Juliegrace Brufke

October 29, 01:17 PM October 29, 01:17 PM

Senate candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump are largely faring well in their races, with most projected to prevail on election night, according to a new analysis by Newsweek released Friday.

The former president has thrown his support behind 22 candidates, with “more than 60 percent” expected to win their races on Nov. 8, the publication’s breakdown read.

Incumbents, including Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Tim Scott (R-SC), Mike Lee (R-UT), James Lankford (R-OK), John Boozman (R-AR), John Hoeven (R-ND), and John Kennedy (R-LA), are expected to remain safe as they fight to retain their seats.

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While the incumbents backed by Trump mostly have a comfortable lead over their Democratic challengers, some of his endorsees remain in heated battles to retain or unseat Democrats in key swing states.

Polling has shown Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) with an edge over Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D-WI) in Wisconsin. Georgia GOP nominee Herschel Walker, who has faced a number of controversies, is neck-and-neck with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). Nevada GOP Senate nominee Adam Laxalt has closed the gap in his race against Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). Pennsylvania GOP candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz has taken a slight lead over Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke, following a recent debate. Arizona GOP hopeful Blake Masters is within the margin of error in his race against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). And Ohio GOP Senate nominee J.D. Vance is now leading Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) by a small margin in the battleground state.

Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC), a Trump-backed candidate who was not mentioned in the Newsweek analysis, has also widened his lead over Democrat Cheri Beasley.

Now just two of Trump’s picks to serve in the upper chamber are expected to lose by significant margins, with Kelly Tshibaka (R-AK) trailing Trump critic Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in Alaska, a state that uses a ranked choice voting system, and Connecticut GOP nominee Leora Levy significantly trailing Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

Despite Senate candidates backed by Trump mostly prevailing in their primaries and being expected to fare well on Election Day, the former president was less successful with his primary picks in the House, where six of his 27 endorsements lost. Some within the GOP voiced concerns over Trump’s involvement in the primaries, with critics of him taking aim at incumbents who backed impeachment fearing that it will be more difficult for far-right candidates to win swing and Democratic-leaning districts as a result.

Fetterman-Oz live debate: Pennsylvania Senate candidates square off

Cami Mondeaux

October 25, 07:30 PM October 25, 07:30 PM

Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz are set to face off in their first and likely only debate on Tuesday night as they battle for the high-stakes Senate seat in Pennsylvania that is likely to determine which party gains control of Congress in November.

The highly anticipated debate is the first time the two candidates will appear face to face. Fetterman suffered a stroke in mid-May, causing him to be largely absent from the campaign trail over the summer as he recovered. Oz’s campaign has used this as a frequent attack against the Democrat, arguing his health would prevent him from fulfilling his duties as a senator.

Oz had also used the debate schedule as an attack, calling on Fetterman to agree to at least five debates before Election Day. However, Fetterman’s campaign took issue with Oz’s rhetoric regarding his health, questioning whether it was appropriate coming from a doctor.

Recent polling shows a tightening race between the two candidates, with Fetterman leading Oz with an average of 2.3 percentage points, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Tuesday’s debate will be hosted by WHTM, an ABC affiliate in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EST.