Many nominations in limbo as senators head home

WASHINGTON — The Senate left town for the year without acting on dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees, including his picks to head the Health and Human Services Department and NASA.

The Senate’s lack of action returns the nominations to the White House, which will have to renominate them in January if Trump wants them installed.

Among the nominees in limbo are former pharmaceutical company executive Alex Azar to run Health and Human Services, Oklahoma Rep. Jim Bridenstine to head NASA and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback for an ambassador’s post.

The nomination of KT Mcfarland, a former deputy national security adviser nominated as U.S. ambassador to Singapore, is in doubt amid questions about her communications with ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell said nominees will be considered once they are resubmitted next year.

Sen. James Lankford, R-okla., blamed Democrats for using procedural tactics to slow up Trump nominees.

“We’ve got agencies all over this town that can’t answer a question because the bureaucrats are waiting on a Senate-confirmed individual to be able to lead that … particular agency,” said Lankford, who has pushed to change Senate rules to streamline the confirmation process.

Democrats point out that the administration has taken its time in submitting official paperwork to the Senate on the nominees and also has withdrawn a number of high-level appointees, including choices for Labor secretary, Army secretary and drug czar.

Mcconnell also has made judicial appointments a priority and Trump has gotten 19 confirmed, including 12 circuit judges, the most in a president’s first year in office in more than a century.