Top Senate Republican opposes Obama labor nominee Perez

By Rachelle Younglai and Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate's top Republican on Wednesday came out strongly against President Barack Obama's nominee for labor secretary, accusing Thomas Perez of being a crusading ideologue who would bend the laws to advance his agenda.

Perez's nomination must be confirmed by the Senate and the speech from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggests that Republicans will throw up procedural hurdles to prevent him from serving as the Obama administration's next labor secretary.

"Unbound by the rules that apply to everyone else, Mr. Perez seems to view himself as free to employ whatever means at his disposal, legal or otherwise, to achieve his ideological goals," McConnell said on the Senate floor.

Perez, 51, is currently head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and has worked on civil rights issues in a series of government positions during his career.

McConnell's speech was designed to rally his members to oppose the nomination, and it provides cover for other Republicans who may be thinking about opposing Obama's pick, said George Washington University's Sarah Binder, an expert on Congress.

"I think it matters that it is Mitch McConnell here, laying the marker down on why he's opposing the nominee," Binder said.

The Oversight Committee in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives also has issues with Perez and has subpoenaed private emails he used to conduct government business.

Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings joined Republicans on Wednesday in asking Perez to turn over the documents. A spokeswoman for Cummings was not immediately available to explain the lawmaker's reasons.

LATINO SUCCESS STORY

Obama has described Perez's career as exemplifying the American success story. Perez, the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, helped pay for college by working as a garbage collector and in a warehouse.

The nomination was championed by Hispanic groups, which have pushed for more representation in the Cabinet.

As labor secretary, he would have a key role in Obama's efforts to raise the minimum wage and overhaul immigration laws.

Republicans allege that Perez entered into a quid pro quo deal with St. Paul, Minnesota, in which he got the city to withdraw a Supreme Court appeal in exchange for the department not filing charges alleging St. Paul had filed false claims in a government funding application.

Perez denies the allegation.

On Wednesday, Republican Senator Marco Rubio - a Hispanic often touted as a potential presidential candidate in 2016 - also said he thought Perez would be a "disastrous" choice.

"Many Americans, especially those of us of Hispanic descent, celebrate his success and his personal story," Rubio said in a statement. "Unfortunately, intellect and work ethic are not sufficient qualifications for a cabinet secretary."

SECOND DELAY FOR VOTE

The Senate Health and Labor Committee had been scheduled to vote on Perez's nomination on Wednesday. But Republicans invoked an obscure rule that prevents committees from meeting when the Senate is in session.

The committee is expected to hold the vote on May 16, marking the second time the panel has had to reschedule the vote due to Republican maneuvers. Although Obama's Democrats control the Senate 55-45, they would need 60 votes to clear a procedural roadblock.

The Health and Labor Committee chairman, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, said he has given Republicans ample time to vet Perez and said his colleagues were now delaying the vote for "delay's sake."

The White House accused Republicans of "politicizing" the nomination but brushed off concerns Perez would be blocked.

"He's enormously qualified and there has not been a case made that is not political and partisan against his nomination, and we hope and expect the Senate will move forward," spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

Two of Obama's other Cabinet picks, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan, had tough confirmations but eventually succeeded.

Obama has had a difficult time getting Senate approval for his Cabinet choices compared to his predecessors, Binder said. Previous presidents have rarely had to meet a 60-vote threshold to secure a confirmation, whereas Republicans have made that "the new norm" for Obama.

"There's no doubt that many nominations are killed by being drawn out and wearing down the nominee," Binder said, explaining that the longer the delay until a vote, the more time opposition can "fester and grow."

(Reporting by Rachelle Younglai and Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Eric Walsh and Eric Beech)

View the original article here

Labor Sec. Nominee Faces Harsh GOP Scrutiny

Secretary of Labor nominee Thomas Perez faced two hours of intense scrutiny at his nomination hearing Thursday morning as he sought to alleviate Republican concerns over his role in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

At issue is a lengthy report released earlier this week in which GOP leaders accuse Perez of attempting to influence the city of St. Paul, Minn., to withdraw a housing discrimination case before it could be brought before the Supreme Court. In exchange, the Department of Justice agreed not to intervene in two whistleblower cases against St. Paul that could have won up to $200 million for taxpayers.

Sen. Lamar Alexander engaged Perez in a heated line of questioning, accusing Perez of doing "an extraordinary amount of wheeling and dealing."

"You have a duty to protect the money, a duty to protect the whistleblower, and at the same time, it seems to me that you're manipulating the legal process to try to get the result you want from the Supreme Court in a way that's inappropriate," Alexander, R-Tenn., said.

Perez defended his actions, saying DOJ chooses not to stay out of "a lot of different things."

"It was in the interest of justice and it was entirely appropriate to do so in the opinion of professional responsibility people and others," he told the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. "I believe the resolution reached in this case was in fact in the interest of justice."

Democratic senators had kind words for Perez. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., introduced him as "one of Maryland's favorite sons," saying "we believe he is the right man for the job."

Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., joined in the praise, adding "you have a very amazing, impressive, wide range of experience that you are bringing from a number of different agencies…You're something of a turn-around expert for public sector agencies, so thank you for that."

When asked what his very top priority would be should he be confirmed as Secretary of Labor, Perez had one answer: "jobs, jobs, jobs."

He expanded on his goals and priorities, including reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act, maintaining pension security, and spending his first 100 days as secretary on a listening tour of America, reaching out to small businesses and workers alike.

"The president has asked all of us to consider three questions in the decisions we make," Perez said. "How do we make America a magnet for jobs? How do we equip our people with the skills they need to succeed in those jobs, and how do we ensure that an honest day's work leads to a decent living?"

Perez concluded, "These questions are at the core of the mission of the Department of Labor, and if confirmed you have my word that I will keep them there."

The committee is expected to vote on Perez's nomination on Thursday, April 25.

Also Read

View the original article here

Obama withdraws judicial nominee blocked twice by Republicans

By Joseph Ax

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The White House on Friday admitted defeat on its choice of New York lawyer Caitlin Halligan for a judgeship on a powerful appeals court, withdrawing her nomination two weeks after Senate Republicans blocked her for the second time.

President Barack Obama expressed anger that Republicans would not permit a Senate vote even as Halligan appeared to have the support of a majority of senators.

"I am deeply disappointed that even after nearly two and a half years, a minority of senators continued to block a simple up-or-down vote on her nomination," he said in a statement.

Halligan was nominated for the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, widely considered the second most influential U.S. court after the Supreme Court.

The court hears many regulatory cases important to businesses, and the judges on it are often considered for elevation to the high court.

Halligan wrote in a one-paragraph letter to Obama that it was a "tremendous honor" to be nominated but that "the time has come for me to respectfully ask that you withdraw my pending nomination."

Halligan, the general counsel for the Manhattan district attorney's office, did not respond to a request for comment.

In a procedure known as a filibuster, Republicans voted against ending debate on Halligan's nomination in December 2011 and again on March 6.

In both instances, a majority of the Senate voted to end debate and put her nomination to a vote, but she fell short of the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster. Democrats control only 55 seats, and legislators largely voted along party lines.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the lone Republican to vote in Halligan's favor on March 6.

Republicans said they were concerned about Halligan's legal "activism" during her time as New York's state solicitor general from 2001 to 2006.

They zeroed in on arguments she made on behalf of the state that gun manufacturers should be held accountable for violent crimes committed with weapons they had made.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called it an example of "how activists on the far left" use courts to try to remake policy.

The National Rifle Association, a gun rights lobbying group, strongly opposed Halligan's nomination.

In a statement, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the judiciary committee chairman, said "narrow, special interests" had influenced Republicans to block Halligan's confirmation.

Halligan became the latest rallying cry for Democrats who claim Republicans have abused the filibuster to prevent Obama from filling several vacancies on the District of Columbia Circuit.

Both parties have blocked judicial nominees over the years, with Democrats moving to stymie certain nominees during the administration of George W. Bush.

Obama is the first president in 50 years who failed to make an appointment to the court during a full term. The 11-seat court has four vacancies, a situation Obama called "unacceptable" on Friday.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Todd Eastham)

View the original article here

PM Note: Gay Marriage Sea Change, Ten Years After Iraq Invasion, Obama's Labor Nominee Scrutinized, GOP's 2012 Autopsy

History Channel Says Satan, Obama Resemblance Unintentional - http://abcn.ws/YCRh2B

Tomorrow: Ten years after the Iraq invasion and at a time when the war has largely disappeared from the political discussion we'll retweet the war from start to finish with archive video and analysis. Follow us at @abcpolitics.

Flashback: 'Go Time' - Here's Nightline from 3/19/2003 http://abcn.ws/16FjbTc

Ten Years Later… Watch Bob Woodruff and Martha Raddatz in 2013 - http://abcn.ws/YCjV3K

Sea Change - 58 percent of Americans support gay marriage, according to a new ABC News / Washington Post Poll. That's a remarkable turnaround. Thirty-two percent backed gay marriage 9 years ago when the issue was credited with hurting John Kerry's chances at the White House. 81 percent of people under 30 and 44 percent of seniors (24 and 26 percent changes in nine years) say same-sex marriage should not be illegal. http://abcn.ws/15W9UEM

Hillary Clinton - Two steps behind Republican Sen. Rob Portman and a week before the Supreme Court hears arguments, the most mentioned likely Democratic candidate in 2016 endorsed gay marriage. http://abcn.ws/WRzOt2

Perspective Nugget - "Recalling of course that President Obama was against gay marriage until 11 months ago… that the first GOP senator to flip did so on Friday… and Hillary Clinton didn't change her position until today, shortly after her husband renounced support for the Defense of Marriage Act - this is society pushing politicians, not the other way around," said ABC Political Director Rick Klein.

"The story of how gay marriage became accepted by a wide majority of Americans is cultural (TV and movies leading the way)and societal (friends and neighbors) far more than it is political.

'Different Instead of Somebody Being Wrong' - Chris Good talked to some of the respondents in the poll on all sides of the issue: For Mark Uhron, it was his clients' financial entanglements that led to a change of heart on gay marriage. "I'm dealing with a lot of clients now who have partners and don't know if benefits are going to get extended to them. It complicates their whole financial picture," Uhron, a white, Catholic, conservative Republican and financial adviser in Vienna, Va., told ABC News.

"I just think that it should be a state decision," said Uhron, a Navy veteran who knew of service members discharged for being gay before the military instated its since-repealed "don't ask, don't tell" policy. "I suppose same-sex couples have every right to be as miserable as the rest of us, so why shouldn't they be allowed to get married?" http://abcn.ws/ZEEjnl (Chris Good)

President Obama Nominates Perez to Be Labor Secretary- President Obama today nominated Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez to be the next secretary of labor, calling him a "consensus-builder" who "reminds us of this country's promise." Perez, the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, has been an assistant U.S. attorney general for the Civil Rights Division since 2009. Before that, he served as secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor. http://abcn.ws/WyRb0s (Mary Bruce)

Perez Isn't Without Controversy - From Fusion's Fabian - "But Perez could encounter a tough grilling from Republican senators, who have painted him as too liberal on issues regarding immigration, voting rights and labor laws. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) vowed he would block Perez's nomination until the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) answers more questions about a lawsuit filed against Louisiana that alleges state agencies violated federal law by not providing voter registration forms to low-income voters. As head of the Justice Department's civil rights division since October 2009, Perez oversaw the Louisiana case. Vitter also questioned Perez's role in the controversial New Black Panther voter intimidation case. " http://abcn.ws/YkEsxN

RNC Autopsy - "Our message was weak; our ground game was insufficient; we weren't inclusive; we were behind in both data and digital; our primary and debate process needed improvement," Priebus said of Mitt Romney and the GOP's 2012 loss. "There's no one solution. There's a long list of them,

In conclusion, Priebus had a message for voters: "To those who have left the party, let me say this, we want to earn your trust again, to those who have yet to trust us, we welcome you with open arms." Here's the full roundup from Shush Walshe - http://abcn.ws/YmCGJm

GOP Rebrand vs. Perez Nomination - Fusion's Jordan Fabian points out - "Perez's nomination came on the same day as a report commissioned by the Republican National Committee urged GOPers to take a less strident tone on the issue of immigration reform. But some senators, such as Sessions, appear committed to bringing up the issue during the confirmation process.

'"We need a Secretary of Labor who fights to create jobs for American workers, not one that undermines legal work requirements," he said. "It is plain that if the policies of Mr. Perez were to be enacted, jobs for Americans would be harder to come by and wages lower. He is the wrong man for this job." http://abcn.ws/YkEsxN

Biden Jokes 'I'll Lose My Soul' If He Misses Cardinal Reception - Vice President Joe Biden joked today that his soul might be in jeopardy if he misses a scheduled reception with the U.S. Cardinals in Rome. http://abcn.ws/Wzl67z(Arlette Saenz)

White House Tourgate Cont'd - The Sad Little Kids - Jon Karl catches up with Iowa 6th graders who came to DC anticipating a White House tour, only to be nixed by budget cuts. http://yhoo.it/16E4iAs

Love In The Time of CPAC (+ the weekend's worst pick-up lines) from Chris Good - http://abcn.ws/1324niv

Also Read

View the original article here

SEC nominee White promises "unrelenting" enforcement

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mary Jo White, the nominee to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, plans to tell lawmakers on Tuesday that she will bring a "bold and unrelenting" enforcement program to the agency if she is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

"Investors and all market participants need to know that the playing field of our markets is level and that all wrongdoers -individual and institutional ... will be aggressively pursued by the SEC," said White in prepared testimony released ahead of her confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee.

"Proceeding aggressively against wrongdoers is not only the right thing to do, but it also will serve to deter the sharp and unlawful practices of others," White added.

White built a reputation as a hard-nosed Manhattan federal prosecutor before moving into private practice for the past 10 years, defending major Wall Street figures, including JPMorgan and former Bank of America Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis.

In pledging to aggressively go after individuals who violate the law, White appeared to be getting out in front of critical questions she will likely face on Tuesday, both on the SEC's record and her recent defense work.

Although the SEC has filed numerous cases in connection with the 2007-2009 financial crisis, the agency has faced criticism from the public and some lawmakers who say it has failed to hold high-level executives accountable and settles too frequently instead of taking banks to trial.

One liberal non-profit, Better Markets, announced Monday it has launched a new webpage called "SEC Watch" that will direct a spotlight on how the SEC handles enforcement cases.

"Unfortunately, the SEC failed miserably in the years before the financial crisis," said Better Markets CEO Dennis Kelleher. "While doing better, it has regrettably too often failed since then as well."

White's prepared testimony marks the first time the public has gotten a glimpse into her priorities for the SEC.

Little is known about her views on regulatory policy and how she may vote on crucial areas facing the SEC, such as rules for over-the-counter derivatives, credit-ratings and money market funds.

White's five pages of prepared testimony give little insight into how she might vote on these matters.

She did, however, highlight market-structure issues such as high-frequency trading, algorithms, order types and dark pools as areas the SEC should continue exploring.

Market structure became a big policy area under former SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, who presided as head of the agency during the May 6, 2010 "flash crash" incident.

While White did not take a position on whether high-speed trading and certain order types may be harming retail investors, she said it is critical for the SEC to better understand its impact.

"There must be a sense of urgency brought to addressing these issues to understand their impact on investors and the quality of our markets so that the appropriate regulatory responses can be made," she said.

Separately, White also stressed the need for the SEC to complete rules required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law and the 2012 Jumpstart our Business Startups (JOBS) Act.

She also pointed to the importance of vigorously studying the economic impact of any new regulations. Problems with proper cost-benefit analysis have plagued the SEC in the past, leading industry and business groups to successfully wage legal challenges that overturned several key rules.

(Reporting By Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Richard Chang)

View the original article here

Senate panel delays CIA nominee Brennan's confirmation vote

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday postponed until next week a vote on the confirmation of White House aide John Brennan to be CIA director, dashing hopes of Democratic leaders who had hoped to have a vote on Thursday.

The committee's Republican vice chairman, Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, said the panel expects to hold the vote on Tuesday.

No explanation for the delay was immediately available. However, the Obama administration has been at odds with members of the committee's Democratic majority over White House unwillingness to disclose some highly classified legal documents related to "targeted killings," including the use of lethal drone strikes against suspected militants.

While the administration allowed members of the intelligence committee to review copies of four such documents, it has refused to turn over what Senate officials believe are at least seven related memos.

On Wednesday, administration officials met with intelligence committee members to discuss the contents of the disputed documents. Copies of the material were not turned over to the committee, however, said a source familiar with the matter.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a key committee Democrat who had indicated earlier his preference that the vote not be held until the administration made additional disclosures, said late on Wednesday he was still not satisfied with what the White House had provided.

"Americans have a right to know when their government believes it is allowed to kill them, and that's what getting these documents" is about, Wyden said.

"I've made it very clear to the White House that we need those legal analyses before we vote," Wyden said. But he added: "There is certainly additional time to work this out."

(Reporting By Mark Hosenball and Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Editing by Warren Strobel, Stacey Joyce and Paul Simao)

View the original article here