Senate clears executive nominees

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed 64 executive nominees by unanimous consent after reaching a deal over National Labor Relations Board appointees that stalled other confirmations. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said more could nominees be confirmed Tuesday.

Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., agreed to the confirmation of Democratic Mark Pearce, a lawyer who has represented unions, and Brian Hayes, a former GOP staffer, to the NLRB. Democrats dropped a demand that Craig Becker, a former labor lawyer whose nomination was filibustered this year, be included in any group of NLRB nominees. That broke a logjam on other nominations.

President Obama gave Becker and Pearce recess appointments in March, but Democrats have pushed to get them full terms. Senate Democrats had refused to allow confirmation of Hayes without also clearing Pearce and Becker. Republicans would not agree to a group of nominees excluding Hayes or one including Becker. That meant that since May, the Senate could not unanimously confirm a large block of nominations that otherwise faced no objections.