WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans pushed through two of President Trump’s cabinet nominees Wednesday by changing the rules at the Finance Committee to circumvent a Democratic boycott.
The Republican-led committee approved Steve Mnuchin as Treasury secretary and Tom Price as Department of Health and Human Services secretary once it disposed of the requirement that at least one Democrat be present for the vote.
Claiming they have more questions about both nominees, Democrats have refused to attend committee meetings for two days.
Committee chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) blasted the Democratic snub as a “cheap political ploy.”
“They should be ashamed,” Hatch added after the meeting.
The nominations now go to the full Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee launched a second boycott Wednesday that successfully postponed the confirmation vote on Scott Pruitt to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I have been informed that no Democrats will be in attendance this morning in order to delay and obstruct the nomination,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo) said in opening his hearing.
Separately, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-9 Wednesday for Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general, sending his nomination to the full Senate.
On the Senate Finance Committee, all GOP members voted for Price and Mnuchin.
“There’s no excuse for what they did yesterday and there’s no excuse for what they did today,” said Hatch, who called Democrats “idiots” Tuesday.
But the Democrats charged that Price misled the committee on his stock purchases and Mnuchin needed to explain his bank’s role in the financial crisis.
“Senate Republicans had to break the rules and force these two nominees through the committee for one reason: They have no answer for the lies and serious ethics problems of Tom Price and Steven Mnuchin,” said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson could clear the full Senate later Wednesday afternoon.