Hawley-McConnell Feud Esclates: Hawley Blocks McConnell Nominees
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The battle between Josh Hawley and Mitch McConnell is escalating.
Hawley blocked Mitch McConnell’s attempts to confirm two former aides to the FTC and NTSB.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is throwing a wrench into Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s (Ky.) effort to confirm two former aides to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), escalating a feud between the first-term conservative senator and the veteran party leader.
Hawley informed McConnell in a letter Wednesday that he wants more time to vet the McConnell-backed nominees, who were slated to be approved by unanimous consent along with a slate of Biden nominees.
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Three Democratic appointees currently sit on the five-member FTC, and the two spots reserved for Republicans are vacant.
Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the five-member NTSB was appointed by Biden, and three members were appointed by former President Trump while one seat remains vacant.
Hawley explained in a letter why he has the nominees on hold.
He put out the press release below.
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), citing concerns about two of his recommended nominees. Senator Hawley appended questions to his letter for the nominees to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to answer regarding their policy views on several issues, including Big Tech and rail safety. Senator Hawley is currently holding both nominees.
Senator Hawley’s letter comes as the Senate looks to pass a negotiated nominations package, likely to include dozens of Democrat-recommended nominees and only a few Republican appointees.
“If Republicans are planning to install dozens of Biden nominees for positions across the federal government—without a vote—in exchange for just a handful of our own selections, I want to be sure that we get our nominees right,” wrote Senator Hawley.
He continued, “For example, Andrew Ferguson, nominated to be a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), should answer additional questions on his philosophy concerning Big Tech, given the importance of that issue to our Conference. I also believe that Todd Inman, who is under consideration for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), should be asked to further articulate his views on various transportation policies, including rail safety and autonomous vehicles.”
Read the full letter here or below.
