Wave-Maker Tips Senate Tradition

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill took the Senate Floor today to say a group of freshman colleagues have agreed to end the practice of secretly holding back administration nominees from job appointments: End it by policy and end it forever.

The Missouri Democrat has made headlines this week on halting the largely partisan practice. And she now says the request for change has gone to the leaders of each party in the Senate. It would entirely prohibit secret blockage of nominations. She noted, each nominee had already been approved in committee, unanimously-- " for everything from Ambassador to Syria, to U.S. Marshals, to U.S. Attorneys. These are people who need to get to work, and they're going to pass here."

McCaskill accuses senators blocking nominees of using the tactic to leverage favors from agencies to which the appointees would go. Seventy six holds are by Republicans, four by Democrats.