The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Jack Lew as President Barack Obama’s new Treasury secretary, putting the former White House chief of staff in the middle of political brawls over the government’s budget. Senators backed Lew 71-26, with all 53 Democrats voting in favor. Lew’s most pressing task will be to find a compromise to…
The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday backed President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the U.S. Treasury, Jack Lew, despite some concerns about his perks from previous employers, clearing the way for a confirmation vote in the full Senate. With the 19-5 vote, about half the panel’s 11 Republicans opposed Lew’s nomination. Senate Democratic leader Harry…
The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to end a delay in the nomination of Chuck Hagel as President Barack Obama’s new secretary of defense, clearing the way for his expected approval as civilian leader at the Pentagon within hours. The Senate voted 71-27 to end debate and move forward, almost two weeks after Republicans launched…
Republican Senator John McCain on Sunday said his former colleague Chuck Hagel was not qualified to be U.S. defense secretary but the Senate would likely vote on his nomination rather than hold it up with procedural hurdles. Before going on a weeklong recess, Republican lawmakers succeeded in delaying a Senate vote on Hagel’s nomination earlier…
Chuck Hagel’s path to confirmation as President Barack Obama’s new secretary of defense became more secure on Thursday when Republican Senator Richard Shelby said he would support the nomination. Shelby joined almost every other Republican senator a week ago in delaying a vote on confirming Hagel in order to allow colleagues more time to examine…
A top Republican senator on Wednesday said he was unsatisfied with U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee Jack Lew’s response to questions about a loan he received from a previous employer and was requesting more information before the Senate committee considering the nomination is asked to vote. Lew received a $1.4 million loan in 2002 as part…
Two centrist Jewish groups called for further review of Chuck Hagel’s record in light of an account of a 2007 speech in which he allegedly said the State Department acted as an “adjunct” of Israel’s foreign ministry. Hagel, President Obama’s nominee for defense secretary, has the support of a majority of senators, but confirmation of…
Senator Frank Lautenberg, the New Jersey Democrat who at 89 is the U.S. Senate’s oldest member, said on Thursday he will not seek re-election next year. Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a fellow Democrat, is seen as a front-runner to replace Lautenberg, a self-made multimillionaire businessman who became a leading liberal voice in the Senate. In…
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