Businesses Wary as Obama Picks Get Edge in Senate Rules
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President Barack Obama will have a stronger hand to push through environmental, financial and other regulations after the Senate voted to let a simple majority confirm most presidential nominees.
Yesterday’s rule change means Obama no longer needs Republican support to win approval of his nominees to run federal agencies and serve on federal trial and appeals courts. There are 231 Obama nominees pending in the Senate, including 53 judges, 81 candidates for cabinet-level agencies and 13 at independent regulatory agencies, according to figures provided by the White House.