Republican leaders in the Senate have reportedly asked the White House to withdraw the nomination of Andy Puzder, President Trump's pick for labor secretary, CNN's Manu Raju reported being told by a top GOP official Wednesday. On Monday, four Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Tim Scott (S.C.), and Johnny Isakson (Ga.) — announced that they are "withholding support" for Puzder's nomination. Raju reported Wednesday that the number of Republicans prepared to vote "no" could now be as high as 12, dooming Puzder.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was reportedly hell-bent on avoiding what CNN called "the unwelcome task of advising the White House to pull the nomination instead of facing an embarrassing Senate floor defeat," but Raju said it appears the Republicans simply do not have the numbers. Puzder's Senate confirmation hearing is slated for Thursday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What's at stake in the Mahmoud Khalil deportation fight?Talking Points Vague accusations and First Amendment concerns
-
Why is a new Air Force One taking so long to build?The Explainer Trump may look for alternatives for his new plane
-
New and notable podcasts for MarchFeature The MeidasTouch Podcast and The Magnificent Others With Billy Corgan
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battleSpeed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rallySpeed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
