WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House is complaining that Senate Democrats are obstructing President Donald Trump’s qualified nominees. Democrats say the administration has only itself to blame for the slow pace of filling vacancies.
The White House says the Senate has only confirmed 48 of 197 presidential nominations to agencies, and just two of 23 judicial nominees have been confirmed.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says White House officials should look in the mirror for the cause of the delay in approving nominees.
He says Trump has failed to submit names for hundreds of vacant jobs, and the administration has submitted incomplete paperwork or delayed ethics forms for many other nominees. At least seven nominees for Cabinet or senior-level positions have withdrawn, including nominees for labor secretary and Army secretary.