As outgoing senators impeded a lame-duck effort to maintain Democratic sway over a government agency, Democratic figures railed against their “pathetic” former caucus peers.
Wednesday on Capitol Hill, as the tenure of independent Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Krysten Sinema of Arizona drew near to a close, their opposition votes made all the difference for the National Labor Relations Board. Friday, The Hill covered the reaction from the upper chamber where radicals were stewing over “unadulterated selfishness.”
Lauren McFerran, the current chair of the NLRB, had held office as a member since her original appointment by then-President Barack Obama in 2014 before she was selected to head the agency under President Joe Biden. The fact that Manchin and Sinema had blocked her from serving another five-year term in a vote that ended 50-49 had Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) calling their action, “Pathetic.”
The chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee wasn’t alone as Democratic lawmakers like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren sounded off with typical hyperbole, “Millions of working people across the country will pay the price for their actions.”
“There’s a tradition of having a balance on that board, and it’s important, so it’s disappointing they weren’t able to get that done,” contended Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith as McFerran’s approval would have meant a Democratic majority at the NLRB to 2026.
Specifically addressing the outgoing senators, neither of whom had sought re-election in 2024, one anonymous Democratic senator told The Hill, “I think people are not sorry to see them go.”
“Overall, I think people are happy to see them move on,” the lawmaker continued with specific commentary for each.
“I think in her case it was pure unadulterated selfishness; it was always about her,” the senator argued of Sinema who had been absent from voting earlier in the week but had been present to help with the deciding vote Wednesday.
Of Manchin, the anonymous politician suggested, “I think people felt like he had a lot of deeply held beliefs. I think he believes his position on the tax credit…I don’t think he’s doing it for corrupt purposes,” referring to fights with the caucus over the so-called American Rescue Plan.
As the Democrats were set to lose their scant control of the upper chamber that had benefitted from the safety of a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris, another senator seemed dismissive of the lame-duck nature of the legislature, instead projecting the motive of the caucus’s attempt to ram through last-minute appointments on the outgoing lawmakers.
“For me it’s really hard to understand except for kind of a parting shot,” the senator said, telling The Hill, “I sort of feel like our caucus has been good to them, especially to Manchin.”
While Manchin would be replaced by Sen.-elect Jim Justice (R), the anonymous legislator was happy to see Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego (D) replacing Sinema.
Weighing in from across the aisle, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who’d led opposition to McFerran as ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee, said following the failed vote, “This NLRB seat should be filled by President Trump and the new incoming Senate. Not a historically unpopular president and a Senate Democrat Majority that has lost its mandate to govern.”
“I am glad the Senate rejected Democrats’ partisan attempt to deny President Trump the opportunity to choose his own nominees and enact a pro-America, pro-worker agenda with the mandate he has from the American people,” added Cassidy.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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