#Menendez blocks two Senate confirmations before holiday recess 

#Menendez blocks two Senate confirmations before holiday recess 

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) blocked the confirmation of two Senate nominees on Wednesday, protesting a “lack of responsiveness” from the Biden administration amid talks with Republicans over Ukraine aid and border security funding, according to Politico. Menendez blocked Basil Gooden’s nomination for the Department of Agriculture’s under-secretary of rural development and the renomination of Summer…

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#Senate tees up final vote on annual defense policy bill

#Senate tees up final vote on annual defense policy bill

The Senate on Tuesday advanced the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) toward a final vote, putting it on a glide path to getting passed Wednesday as lawmakers look to conclude their work before the Christmas break.  Senators voted 85-15 to end debate on the $886 billion annual defense policy bill that will cover fiscal 2024…

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#Senate Democrats shoot down Biden naysayers in party 

#Senate Democrats shoot down Biden naysayers in party 

Senate Democrats are pushing back hard on criticism from within their own party that President Biden’s poll numbers are so weak that the party should replace him atop the ticket, dismissing concerns about Biden’s electability as totally counterproductive.   Some of the sharpest criticism of Biden’s electability has come from former President Obama’s senior political…

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#Senate Republicans get ready to roll Tuberville on military holds 

#Senate Republicans get ready to roll Tuberville on military holds 

Republican senators are laying the groundwork to vote before Christmas on a Democratic-drafted resolution to circumvent the blockade that Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) has placed in front of more than 400 military nominees.  Republican frustrations with Tuberville and his ally, Senate Steering Committee Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah), spilled into public view again early Thursday…

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