Senate stalls Biden labor nominee as 2 Dems vote with GOP

Rodriguez previously served in the Florida Senate from 2016-2020 and in that state's lower chamber from 2012-2016.

By Ben Whedon

Published: November 28, 2023 8:12pm

President Joe Biden's nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary of Labor, Jose Javier Rodriguez, failed to clear a procedural vote in the upper chamber on Tuesday, with two Democrats joining Republicans to vote against advancing his nomination.

Rodriguez's nomination was stalled in a 44-51 vote, Politico reported. Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin, W.Va., and Bob Menendez, N.J., voted against advancement and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer subsequently switched his vote to "no." The maneuver will allow him to bring another vote on Rodriguez at a later date.

A workers' rights attorney, he previously served in the Florida Senate from 2016-2020 and in that state's lower chamber from 2012-2016. A spokesperson for Manchin cited Rodriguez's "lack of experience" as motivating his "no" vote.

His nomination was previously deadlocked in committee in 2021 and Biden was forced to renominate him earlier this year, according to Bloomberg Law.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.