Senate Democrats continue to obstruct President Trump’s effort to staff his administration by slow walking the nomination process of key executive branch nominees.
After more than a year and a half into the Trump Administration, only half of the 705 key administration positions requiring confirmation have been confirmed by the Senate. Senate Democrats, led my Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are playing political games to deliberately understaff the administration, currently holding up the confirmation of over 180 formally nominated positions.
A prime example of Schumer’s obstructionist tactics can be seen in the nomination process of Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle to the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC). Buerkle’s confirmation as Chairman of the CPSC has been stalled by Democrats for over a year, despite serving over 500 days as the CPSC’s acting head and being unanimously confirmed to the commission by a Democrat-held Senate in 2013.
Buerkle’s confirmation is clearly being delayed for political reasons. While serving as Acting Chairman, Buerkle was often the dissenting vote on the commission which Democrats held a 3-1 majority on, until June 2018. During both the Obama and Trump administrations, Democrats at the agency outvoted Buerkle and pursued record civil penalties and overruled the agency’s own staff to pursue ill-advised regulations.
Confirming Buerkle is a vital move for the administration, as her confirmation, along with pending nominee Peter Feldman, would break the current tie in the commission of two Democrat seats and two Republicans seats. Buerkle’s confirmation will restore Republican control of the commission, finally giving the Trump administration an opportunity to reform and streamline the agency.
With Acting Chairman Buerkle’s term ending in October 2018, it is critical that she receive a vote immediately, particularly with the precarious edge the Republicans hold in the Senate, a 51-49 vote majority. To promote a streamlined and reformed CPSC, it is time for Democrats to acknowledge the results of the 2016 elections and allow the Acting Chairman to receive a final vote on the Senate floor.