As expected, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed cloture Monday afternoon on the nomination of Patricia Millett to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
She’s the first of three nominees by President Barack Obama to fill vacancies on the powerful court. Republicans have threatened to filibuster any nominees to those seats, arguing that they need not be filled.
Reid also filed cloture on the nomination of Mel Watt to serve as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).
Senior White House officials met Monday with housing and financial industry leaders, said White House spokesman Amy Brundage. They “made clear that the Watt confirmation is a top White House priority, that the Senate should move forward to confirm him this week, and that the President and his senior team will continue to push hard for Watt until he is confirmed and in place,” Brundage said.
