Senate Republicans continue on the road to
intentionally shutting down the National Labor Relations Board this summer. The labor board, which protects workers' right to organize or not as they choose, can't function without a three-member quorum, which it won't have once a current member's term expires. The board is in legal limbo, in any case, with
two appeals courts having overturned recess appointments President Obama made to allow it to function despite Republicans blocking his nominations. Obama has renominated the NLRB's current members, including recess appointees Richard Griffin and Sharon Block, and has nominated two Republicans. Mitch McConnell
is having none of it:
Michael Brumas, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said the president should replace nominees Griffin and Block.
"The White House has been told by Leader McConnell's office that it needs to nominate two new Democrat nominees in place of the two unlawfully appointed individuals," Brumas said.
The implication is that Senate Republicans are objecting to Block and Griffin
because of the legal questions surrounding the recess appointments. In reality, the recess appointments were made because Senate Republicans blocked the nominations, and confirming them would end the question of their legitimacy going forward. Neither would Republicans be likely to confirm Obama's next Democratic NLRB nominees. Because Republicans don't want to confirm anyone Obama nominates for anything, they certainly don't want to confirm anyone nominated to safeguard workers' rights, and in fact, they don't want the NLRB functioning at all. So the idea that Obama should just nominate two other Democrats is nothing but a delaying tactic—and delay will shut down the NLRB in a matter of months.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty and inability to function properly at the NLRB is destroying people's lives:
Which I'm guessing Mitch McConnell does not care about one bit.