On Dec. 18, the U.S. Senate approved an en bloc nominations package that included 97 Trump administration nominees. The 53-43 party-line vote was made possible by the Senate’s recent move to lower the threshold for subcabinet level positions to a simple majority rather than the typical, 60-vote threshold.

Ahead of the vote, ABC and the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace supported the nominations of three National Labor Relations Board nominees included in the package, who were sworn in on Jan. 7:

• James Murphy, member
• Scott Mayer, member
• Crystal Carey, general counsel

With the confirmation of the nominees, the NLRB will not only have a new general council to set the agenda, but it will also have a quorum for the first time in nearly a year. The new 2-1 Republican majority will allow the Board to resume more regular operations. However, longstanding Board practice requires three votes to overturn existing precedent. A third Republican-appointed member has not yet been nominated, so the Board is not able to fully begin to unwind policies implemented during the Biden administration.

Among the other 97 positions, there were several U.S. Department of Labor nominees confirmed:

• Rosario Palmieri, assistant secretary of labor for policy
• Henry Mack, Employment and Training Administration
• Anthony D’Esposito, Department of Labor Inspector General’s Office
• Jeremiah Workman, assistant secretary of labor, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service