NOMINEES, WOULDN’T WANNA BE ‘EM When Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told us he wouldn’t vote for Biden judicial picks that lacked GOP support, his self-described “little filibuster” underscored a painful truth in the Senate: Nominee votes are squeezing vulnerable Democrats at every turn. And as campaign season approaches full swing, that means the White House will likely experience a shaky path forward this year for any nominees who can’t win significant bipartisan support. To recap the rough past few weeks for the president’s picks:
- Adeel Mangi’s appellate court nomination has lost the support of three Senate Democrats, including Jacky Rosen (Nev.), who is up for reelection, alongside Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Manchin. Other Democrats in tough races this fall, such as Sens. Jon Tester (Mont.) and Bob Casey (Pa.) remain non-committal on Mangi. Republicans have been pressuring Democrats on the pick for weeks, accusing Mangi of having “radical associations,” as Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put it last month.
- Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su’s nomination once again cleared committee in February, but there’s no sign of progress toward a floor vote before the election as moderate Democrats continue to deny her the necessary support – for the second straight year.
- There’s new signs of trouble on the horizon for judicial nominee Sparkle Sooknanan, who’s facing bipartisan backlash over her past representation of financial industry clients who wanted to get cash out of Puerto Rico during its debt crisis.
Manchin’s recent promise to not vote for any judicial nominees that have zero Republican support effectively turns Senate Democrats’ 51-49 majority into a 50-50 split when it comes to the federal bench. Which also leaves Democrats battling for reelection this fall, like Tester, Casey, Tammy Baldwin (Wis.) or Sherrod Brown (Ohio), with no room to defect from any Biden nominee who lacks GOP buy-in without tanking the vote. So what comes next? Attempts to minimize the bleeding. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Inside Congress he plans to push back on Manchin’s tactics directly. “I haven't spoken to him personally, but I’m going to,” Durbin said. “His Inflation Reduction Act, if you’ll remember – major piece of legislation which he worked on – passed with only Democratic votes. I'm gonna remind him that in the past that has not held him up.” If Durbin is successful in talking Manchin down, it could give Democrats some much-needed breathing room. But that’s doubtful. Others were less concerned about the next few months. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), another Judiciary Committee member, brushed aside nominee hiccups and portrayed future votes as a case-by-case scenario. “I am not worried about the trend. It's particular. Each one has a potential problem, and some of them are more vulnerable to made up problems – and I think Mangi is in that category,” Welch said. In his view, it’s still “full speed ahead.” — Ursula Perano GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, April 2, where we are sending our wishes for successful treatment and recovery to Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) following his cancer diagnosis. NEW IN IC: CRITICAL FETTERMAN STAFF HIRE VETERAN -> FETTERMAN: Sen. John Fetterman has made a new senior hire after seeing some staff churn in recent weeks in his press shop. The Pennsylvania Democrat is bringing on Carrie Adams, a Hill veteran, to serve as his communications director. Adams is coming from the private sector and has a Who's Who of experience with congressional Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, former top Rules Committee Democrat Louise Slaughter and Rep. Barbara Lee. We’re told she wore a hoodie in her Hill badge photo to show her Fetterman team spirit. — Burgess Everett
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