![\"Steven](\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.towleroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/mnuchin.jpeg?resize=600%2C338\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAmid Democratic boycotts, Senate Republicans suspended the rules to advance Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin and HHS Secretary nominee Tom Price, CNN reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n With the committee rules suspended, the 14 Republicans in the room voted to move the Mnuchin and Price nominations to the full Senate, even without the presence of a single member of the opposite party.<\/p>\n \u201cThey on their own accord refused to participate in the exercise,\u201d Hatch said about the Democrats on the committee. \u201cThey have nobody to blame but themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Hatch said the Senate Parliamentarian had approved of the procedural maneuver, and insisted to reporters after the exercise was a \u201cjust utilization\u201d of the rules. \u201cThis is all approved by the Parliamentarian,\u201d he said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have done it if it hadn\u2019t been.\u201d<\/p>\n The committee\u2019s call<\/a> for a 9:30 a.m. gathering was so sudden that even some members of the media scrambled to arrive at the hearing room in the Dirksen building on time.<\/p>\n Hatch chuckled when confronted by questions from reporters about the little notice that the public received about Wednesday s meeting. \u201cYou were scrambling? Well, you know, that\u2019s neither here nor there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Watch:<\/p>\n Description of video<\/a> on YouTube:<\/p>\n Heath and Human Services and Treasury Secretary Nominees The Senate Finance Committee suspended rules obliging Democrats to be available amid voting to propel the selections for Treasury secretary and Health and Human Services secretary. The chairman, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), said he counseled with the parliamentarian to push ahead with the vote after Democrats boycotted a previous vote. Every single Republican of the committee took part and voted to move the two selections to the Senate floor for a vote. Here\u2019s the segment of video<\/a> that was Brought forth. Note there was audio difficulties at the beginning and chairman gave comments after the vote.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The post Senate GOP Suspends Rules Amid Democratic Boycott, Advances HHS Nominee Price and Treasury Nominee Mnuchin<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n