Senate Approves Tranche of 97 Nominees Amid Continued Obstruction of Trump Picks

The U.S. Senate on Thursday evening approved a tranche of 97 of President Donald Trump’s nominees for the executive branch as hundreds more await confirmation. In a 53–43 vote, the Senate gave the green light to the resolution authorizing the confirmation of these nominees together as a group, marking the third slate of nominees approved through such a measure. The vote was party line, with Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) not voting. Many nominees included in the resolution are lower profile. Those on the list include Department of Homeland Security General Counsel nominee James Percival, who is expected to play a role in defending the administration in disputes over mass deportation, and Treasury Department anti-terrorism nominee Jonathan Burke, who would help combat funding for groups designated as terrorist organizations by the administration, including trans-national drug cartels....