Biden Labor nominee stalls in Senate after Manchin, Menendez vote with GOP

President Biden’s nominee to serve as assistant secretary of the Labor Department, José Javier Rodríguez, stalled in the Senate Tuesday after Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Bob Menendez (N.J.) voted with Republicans to block him from advancing.

An aide to Manchin said the West Virginia Democrat had concerns about Rodriguez’s “political activism and lack of experience.”

Menendez’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Biden first nominated Rodríguez to serve as the Labor Department’s assistant secretary for employment and training in July of 2021. Biden returned the nomination to the Senate at the start of the new Congress in January.

Rodríguez served in the Florida state House of Representatives from 2012 to 2016 and state Senate from 2016 to 2020 before losing reelection in 2020.

The vote on the procedural motion to advance Rodríguez failed 51-44. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) changed his vote from “yes” to “no” to give himself flexibility to bring the nominee back to the floor at a later date.

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