The filibuster for presidential nominees will remain.
While a lengthy meeting between senators last night failed to produce a consensus, a deal occurred this morning, according to several reports. Republicans will allow debate (and thus, a confirmation vote eventually) on several controversial nominees, including Labor secretary nominee Tom Perez and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy.
Already this morning, several Republicans joined Democrats to vote to allow debate to begin on Richard Cordray, whose nomination for director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, had raised tensions between the parties. Cordray is expected to be confirmed as early as today.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid, in turn, will not end the filibuster for presidential nominees. If he had, sixty votes to overcome a filibuster on debate for nominee would no longer be required.
Democrats will also find two new nominees for the National Labor Relations Board. Republicans have objected to Richard Griffin and Sharon Block, the current nominees, who were appointed by President Obama. Two courts have ruled this year that Obama was not legally permitted to appoint Griffin and Block when he did, as the Senate technically wasn’t on recess, and the case is headed to the Supreme Court.