CNN: Senate breaks filibuster of Mayorkas nomination to be Homeland Security secretary

[onetexan]

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/28/politics/senate-filibuster-vote-dhs-secretary/index.html

(CNN)The Senate voted Thursday to break a GOP filibuster and advance the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas to be President Joe Biden's secretary of Homeland Security after Republicans objected to efforts to quickly install a critical leader of the country's national security apparatus. Now that the nomination has successfully cleared that procedural hurdle, a final vote on confirmation is on track for Monday evening...

Several Republican senators crossed party lines to vote with Democrats in support of breaking the filibuster, including Sens. Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman and Shelley Moore Capito.
First GOP filibuster of Biden nominee
The use of the filibuster -- to stall nominations or legislation -- has long been a favored tool of the minority party, something Democrats did often when trying to derail and delay the Republican agenda under then-President Donald Trump. While several of Biden's nominees have been confirmed and have moved at a slower pace than some of his predecessors' Cabinet picks, Republicans had not yet threatened to filibuster a nominee until Wednesday. Mayorkas is now the first.

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Damn GOP SOBs thought they could pull one over. Well i'm thankful to the 5 GOP senators who voted to advance Mayorkas' nomination. Another great Biden pick

[Lucinda]

1. KNR

[Cha]

2. Thank you for the report, onetexan!

Bet mitch was pissed!

And wow to the gop Senators who voted with the Dems!

[onetexan]

3. Karma...what goes around comes around. Moscow Mitch had it coming to him given the obstruction he's

done past 6 years. Damn fool just needs to retire.
That said, i'm just so glad Mayorkas is now head of DHS. I'm a firm believer that ICE (under DHS) needs to be abolished given we've seen the Con, and most likely future GOP admin, can use it to harm Americans.

aloha Cha & Good Morning!

[Cha]

5. Aloha! Good to read

your perspective on Mayorkas.. I've never heard of him before.

I just googled.. He has a huge responsibility reuniting the families. More Clean up of the Traitor's Mess.

Good Morning to you!

[FBaggins]

4. Bad title?

55-42 doesn’t break a filibuster. And filibusters no longer apply to nominee confirmations.

[Karma13612]

7. Yea, it was a bit confusing

Basically the GOP’s Senators crossed party lines to vote for the nominee.

[kentuck]

6. What kind of fight will they have over Merrick Garland?

Will they disapprove of him?

Probably.

[lastlib]

8. Assholes gotta asshole......

count on it.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. There is no "60 vote cloture" ("filibuster" ) for confirmations

That final vote was 3 short from 100.

Here is a summary of floor proceedings - https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/78/13

01/28/2021 By unanimous consent agreement, debate and vote 2/1/2021.
01/28/2021 Considered by Senate.
01/28/2021 Cloture invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 55 - 42. Record Vote Number: 10.
01/27/2021 By unanimous consent agreement, vote 1/28/2021.
01/27/2021 By unanimous consent agreement, mandatory quorum required under Rule XXII waived.
01/27/2021 Cloture motion presented in Senate.

Roll call vote - https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=117&session=1&vote=00010

I am guessing what happened was that once the nomination got out of Committee, it went to the floor for a unanimous consent request to confirm and that request received an "objection" (which would be expected). They then did a "voice vote" where (with Democrats controlling) they would probably have declared that "the yays have it", and a motion was put in to do a full roll call vote.

So apparently this vote was to "cut off debate" (which is what the traditional "60-vote cloture" also references, i.e., "cutting off debate" ). If it had failed, that would then mean they would initiate some "x" amount of time to debate the nomination and THEN vote for the confirmation. So the procedural tool - regardless of whether it requires a simple majority or 3/5, saves time ("fast track" ) by ditching the time that would need to be set aside for debating a confirmation.

From the roll call - these 3 didn't vote -

Cramer (R-ND)
Graham (R-SC)
Warner (D-VA)

These Republicans voted to cut off debate -

Capito (R-WV)
Collins (R-ME)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Portman (R-OH)
Romney (R-UT)
Sullivan (R-AK)

[Ferrets are Cool]

10. This is just the beginning of the obstruction efforts.

GD fuckers.

[DeminPennswoods]

11. JMHO, but these Rs are the ones

Biden can reach and work with. It's interesting that both Alaska senators voted with Dems.

[onetexan]

12. Hoping that's the case given the Con's admin used ICE (under DHS) to harm thousands of people

separated families and deported others who should not have been deported. They even went so far as to attempt to denaturalize citizens, and revoke Green Card holders due to minor offenses. What they did was criminal as Biden has said, esp'ly the family separation tactic, and the people involved in that decisionmaking need to be investigated & charged.

Anyhow, i think part of the obstruction here is the fact a brown man is being nominated for the position. The party of white supremacists don't like it that their favorite tool to inflict mass suffering on people will now be headed by a minority. It all comes down to this common denominator.