Senate Finance Committee Republicans responded to Democrats' refusal to vote on two of President Donald Trump's cabinet nominees by "suspending" committee rules, according to a CNN Politics report.
Here are five things you need to know:
1. On Jan. 31, 2017, Senate Finance Committee Democrats boycotted a vote on Rep. Tom Price, MD, (R-Ga.) for HHS secretary and Steven Mnuchin for the U.S. Department of the Treasury secretary, citing the two nominees "misled" Congress during panel testimonies, as reported by The Hill.
2. When the committee reconvened on Feb. 1, 2017, the GOP members found themselves without their Democrat peers, again. The committee's rules require at least one Democrat be present during voting. To avoid a consecutive day of no voting, Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) decided to proceed with the vote sans Democrats, noting the Senate Parliamentarian approved the rule change.
3. The 14 Republican committee members voted to advance Dr. Price and Mr. Mnuchin as nominees for a Senate vote.
4. To be confirmed as head of the HHS, Dr. Price will need to achieve a Senate simple majority of 51 votes, as reported by Medscape.
5. Fifty-two Republicans currently hold seats in the Senate.
Recent articles:
Survey: Group purchasing organizations yielded up to $864B in healthcare savings over 10 years
FDA approves Fujifilm's digital breast tomosynthesis option for Aspire Cristalle Digital Mammography System: 3 key facts
Judge Neil Gorsuch is Trump's pick for Supreme Court justice: Here's what you should know