Enzi: Solis Isn’t Going Anywhere For Now

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Mike Enzi (WY), the senior Republican on the Senate labor committee, just revealed some more backstory behind today’s seemingly sudden postponement of the confirmation vote on Labor Secretary nominee Hilda Solis.

Turns out that the Solis delay wasn’t so shocking to Enzi, who said he and fellow senators knew last night about $6,700 in California tax liens long left unpaid by Solis’ husband. Enzi said Republicans knew this morning that the confirmation vote wasn’t going to happen, but that it was left on the committee schedule because senators “wanted answers from the White House.”

Now that the tax liens have been repaid, then, is the committee ready to take up Solis’ nomination — even if it has to pass with only Democratic support? Enzi said no. “[There is a] joint effort to make sure we have all the information before we vote,” he said. “There isn’t enough information yet.”

And if you thought the tax liens were the only thing standing in the way for Solis, that’s not so — Enzi said Republicans are still raising questions about her role as treasurer for American Rights at Work (ARW), a labor-allied non-profit group. It’s not Solis’ service on the board necessarily, Enzi explained, but the possibility that as treasurer, she had jurisdiction over ARW’s political spending. The anti-union group National Right to Work explains the GOP’s line of attack at length.

Latest DC
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: