Outraged over ‘illegal’ wetlands rule, a GOP senator blocks dozens of Trump nominees

Filed 2h ago · Via Michigan Advance · The Buffoon Desk

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Flight of the Bumblebee

Rimsky-Korsakov — U.S. Air Force Band · Public Domain

Photo: The White House · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota is blocking 'any and all' of President Trump's nominees over a 2024 Biden-era wetlands rule he calls illegal and harmful to his state's farmers. Dozens remain stuck, including Kari Lake's nomination as ambassador to Jamaica and Sean Kaufman's for a Health and Human Services preparedness post, though Cramer has let a few through, including new Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, confirmed 47-41.

Cramer says he'll keep loosening the hold only as he sees progress, pointing to a September Interior Department announcement that Fish and Wildlife will incorporate North Dakota feedback on wetland easements purchased before 1976. The Senate has now left for a weeks-long break until after the midterms, leaving the remaining nominees in limbo with no floor action possible until the lame-duck session.

A White House spokesperson deflected questions about the standoff by touting the president's 'talented patriots' delivering 'major wins,' without addressing Cramer's specific demands.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

A senator who calls himself a stalwart Trump ally holding the administration's entire nominee list hostage over drain tile easements is a reminder that party loyalty has its limits, and those limits are sometimes about actual dirt. The White House's answer, heavy on 'talented patriots' and 'major wins,' doesn't mention wetlands once, which tells you who's actually winning the standoff for now. Cramer says the ball is in the White House's court; the Senate calendar says it may not matter who holds it until after the election anyway.

Source: Read the original at Michigan Advance → Scored: Flight of the Bumblebee · Rimsky-Korsakov — U.S. Air Force Band · CC BY 4.0

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