Washington- A Democratic-led bid to secure a majority on the National Labor Relations Board through 2026 failed Wednesday, as Senate Republicans and two independents blocked the nomination of Lauren McFerran to continue serving on the labor board.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday filed closing nominations for McFerran, a Democrat, to stay for another five-year term on the National Labor Relations Board. McFerran is the current chairman of the NLRB whose term expires later this month. His confirmation for another term would have maintained a Democratic majority on the board, marking a key victory for Democrats heading into a second Trump administration and a Republican trio in Washington.
In a 50-49 vote, Senate Republicans, joined by independent Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, blocked the nomination from moving forward. Without that confirmation, the board would have to come under Republican control, with a vacancy for President-elect Donald Trump and the new GOP-controlled Senate to fill in the new year.
Schumer praised McFerran before Wednesday’s vote, saying she “has served admirably on the NLRB for many years, where she is known for her fairness, deep expertise and for guiding the board through the world’s challenges contemporary work.
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“If you really care about working families, if you want to address income inequality in the United States, then you should support nominating the NLRB nominee today,” Schumer said, emphasizing that “you don’t cannot say that you are for working families and that you are in favor of working families. so go vote no today, because the NLRB protects workers from mistreatment on the job and from overreaching employers.
The NLRB is an independent, five-member federal agency that mediates between labor unions and big businesses by enforcing labor laws under the National Labor Relations Act. Under the union-friendly Biden administration, the NLRB has issued a series of pro-union rulings.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a longtime independent advocate for the labor movement, posted on social media Tuesday that McFerran had “done an exceptional job protecting workers’ rights and opposing illegal anti-union acts,” arguing that it was “imperative that a majority of senators vote”. to reconfirm her this week so she can continue this vital work.”
Republicans largely opposed the nomination, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who spoke out Tuesday against McFerran’s nomination. The Kentucky Republican, who will leave the leadership in January, said in remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday that his colleagues should reflect on the “gross mismanagement of Ms. McFerran’s tenure.”
“His confirmation would give a lame-duck president control of an independent board for much of his successor’s term,” McConnell added.
Manchin, a West Virginia independent who caucuses with Democrats, also joined Republicans in opposing moving forward with the nomination, as did Sinema, an Arizona independent. The two senators, who often play key roles in votes on partisan measures, are both leaving the Senate after choosing not to run for re-election. Senator Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas, did not vote.
The vote came as Senate Democrats made last-minute efforts to confirm President Biden’s remaining nominees to the nation’s courts. Democrats hope to match or surpass Trump’s judicial confirmations in his first term, but have faced resistance in recent weeks from Republicans who seek to drag out the process.
