Senate Narrowly Confirms Mulvaney As Trump's OMB Director
Source: NPR
February 16, 201711:07 AM ET
Rep. Mick Mulvaney, President Trump's pick to lead the White House's Office of Management and Budget, won a close confirmation vote in the full Senate on Thursday, two weeks after the Senate Budget Committee advanced the South Carolina Republican's nomination by a 12-11 vote.
In a back-and-forth voice vote, the tally was 50-47 when Sen. Mitch McConnell's name was called. His "aye" vote sealed the nomination with 51 senators in favor. As the votes rolled in, groups of Democrats and Republicans huddled on the Senate floor, locked in conversation.
Immediately after the vote, McConnell took the floor to begin consideration of another Trump nomination that of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt for the post of U.S. EPA administrator.
Democrats who opposed Mulvaney's nomination spoke of his view that Social Security and Medicare must be overhauled a move that, as NPR's Scott Horsley reported last month, Trump promised not to undertake.
Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/16/515578360/senate-narrowly-confirms-mulvaney-as-trumps-nominee-for-omb-director?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20170216&utm_campaign=breakingnews&utm_term=nprnews