Discussion: Marc Short On Mike Pompeo's Committee Vote: 'It Looks Iffy'

I don’t like folks who lie about their military history.

Disclaimer: Navy submarine officer & cold war vet. For realsies.

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US Congress 101 Question: I was under the impression that if something doesn’t pass in committee, it can’t go to the floor. Am I mistaken, or is this a special circumstance, or just the usual IOKIYAR?

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The committee has choices and can send it to the full Senate for a vote. McCain won’t be there to vote and Paul is a no. Mitch will need every Republican + a Dem to confirm. Heidi Heitkamp has said she will vote to confirm.

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Bills have to pass through committee; for confirmations the committee makes a recommendation which can be ignored. That said, usually if the committee votes against a nominee then they withdraw because it’s a sign they’ll lose. I don’t get why Heitkamp would vote for him. It’s not like this is a major issue for SD Trumpists.

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Only the best…

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Aah ok, bill vs. nomination, that makes sense.

Yeah, Heitkamp is a puzzler. The people she is hoping to sway by her decision aren’t going to vote for her anyway, and she will just piss off the Dem votes she needs.

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Why does the name “Marc Short” suddeny appear all over the place ?

And Manchin is now a yes, of course.

The last I heard, Flake hadn’t announced how he intended to vote. If the nomination fails in committee, Corker, the Foreign Relations Committee chair, can report it out without a recommendation or not report it out. McConnell has said that he intends to bring it to the floor anyway, but I understand that he needs 60 votes to break a filibuster to do so.

If it does move to the floor … McCain supports Pompeo’s nomination but is in Arizona recovering from surgery. So counting the votes, if the nomination moves to the floor, there are 48-49 R votes and one D vote (Heitkamp) for Pompeo that we know of. So it will probably be down to the wire.

Manchin just announced he will vote to confirm Pompeo. Cabinet confirmation requires a simple majority. It appears that Pompeo will be confirmed but with a very narrow majority.

Oh, I just saw that. So even if Flake votes no, they can get to 50 if it goes to the floor. If only Corker weren’t so wobbly.

But on another front, a fifth R legislator has called on Pruitt to resign. Even if Pompeo squeaks by, the cumulative effect of the resignations, firings, criticism and close confirmation fights is taking its toll. Betsy DeVos is extremely weak, and her agency has done little to nothing since her appointment (in part because of tremendous understaffing).

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is the current White House Director of Legislative Affairs and Assistant to the President for U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

He’s the one that is suppose to get Trump’s legislative agenda passed.

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He has kept a low profile till now…

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Yes, in a floor vote. But what happens if the nomination is not reported out of committee – not just unfavorably, but at all? My understanding is that McConnell would need 60 votes to force it out of committee, although I haven’t confirmed that, and I am not sure it’s ever happened. I think there has been only one instance in history in which a nominee reported unfavorably out of committee has been confirmed by the full Senate. I haven’t been able to find an instance in which the nominee was forced out of committee. But all this undoubtedly is moot, since Corker is too much of a waffler to do anything as dramatic as refusing to report the nomination out of committee.

I think Corker will send it with an unfavorable rec. He may have a vote to send it without a rec. which still gets it to the floor. It’s embarrassing for Pompeo and Trump but that’s what I think will happen. He will be confirmed albeit narrowly.

I do too. And so we will have a secretary of state only narrowly confirmed, who wants to kill the Iran nuclear agreement, who wants regime change in North Korea and has expressed skepticism about climate change. Just what we need to improve US respect and standing in the world.

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Oh please. Most of these guys are REPUBLICANS and that’s just a shorter way of saying ‘no backbone.’ Of COURSE they’ll confirm his incompetent ass.

And Donnelly a yes as well. They don’t even need that many Republicans I guess.