Republican Obstructionists

Republicans on the Senate environment committee on Thursday blocked a vote on the nomination of Gina McCarthy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. “The American people want this government to function. This type of obstructionism is enormously anti-democratic,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. The latest Republican stalling tactic came one day after Republicans on Wednesday delayed for the second time in two weeks a vote on the nomination of Tom Perez to head the Department of Labor.

Sanders asked environment committee Chairman Barbara Boxer to set another vote as soon as possible on the EPA nominee. He also urged Senate Democrats to change filibuster rules that the Republican minority in the Senate have exploited to block confirmation votes.

The Labor Department nominee already had been bottled up in the Senate labor committee for weeks. Sanders, a member of that committee as well, called Perez “a strong and competent candidate.”