Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine voted along with Democratic senators to advance Tillerson's nomination. (Photo: ALA Washington Office/flickr/cc)
Jan 31, 2017
Three Senate Democrats and Senator Angus King (I-Maine) (202-224-5344) sparked outrage on Monday by enabling President Donald Trump's extreme agenda when they allowed the confirmation of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson's as U.S. Secretary of State to advance in a procedural vote.
The cloture vote was 56-43, ending an attempted filibuster that needed only a simple majority to keep the confirmation from moving forward. (See the full roll call vote here.)
And while the vote went largely along party lines, the three Democrats--Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) (202-224-3954), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) (202-224-2043) and Mark Warner (Va.) (202-224-2023)--as well as King (202-224-5344), advanced Tillerson's nomination, putting him one step closer to confirmation even as other Democratic leaders scrambled to delay the decision and an energized resistance movement demands lawmakers show stronger opposition to Trump's nominees.
Now, the Senate may take their final vote on Tillerson's nomination as soon as Wednesday.
Manchin, Heitkamp, and King are up for reelection in 2018.
\u201cTaking names? Angus King, Heidi Heitkamp, Mark Warner & Joe Manchin all voted with the GOP to shut down the filibuster on Tillerson\u201d— Howie Klein (@Howie Klein) 1485817067
Kate Addleson, director of the Sierra Club's Virginia chapter, slammed Warner for his vote, stating Monday, "Senator Warner's support for advancing such a contemptible and untrustworthy nominee is extremely disappointing. If Warner remains committed to providing a positive future for Virginians and our nation, he will vote against Tillerson's confirmation."
Tillerson "is an unacceptable candidate for Secretary of State. While CEO of Exxon, he knowingly covered up the reality of climate change, showing his willingness to put his company's profits over people's health and safety," Addleson said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tried and failed to secure an 11th-hour delay on the vote, arguing that Tillerson should first clarify his stance on President Donald Trump's widely-denounced travel ban for immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries.
"Democrats and Republicans alike and the American people most of all deserve to know whether Mr. Tillerson would implement this executive order or not because it seems to directly contradict comments he made under oath to a committee," Schumer said.
During his confirmation hearings in January, Tillerson said he wouldn't rule out a so-called Muslim registry, but that he did not support a "blanket-type" ban on Muslim immigration into the country.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Three Senate Democrats and Senator Angus King (I-Maine) (202-224-5344) sparked outrage on Monday by enabling President Donald Trump's extreme agenda when they allowed the confirmation of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson's as U.S. Secretary of State to advance in a procedural vote.
The cloture vote was 56-43, ending an attempted filibuster that needed only a simple majority to keep the confirmation from moving forward. (See the full roll call vote here.)
And while the vote went largely along party lines, the three Democrats--Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) (202-224-3954), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) (202-224-2043) and Mark Warner (Va.) (202-224-2023)--as well as King (202-224-5344), advanced Tillerson's nomination, putting him one step closer to confirmation even as other Democratic leaders scrambled to delay the decision and an energized resistance movement demands lawmakers show stronger opposition to Trump's nominees.
Now, the Senate may take their final vote on Tillerson's nomination as soon as Wednesday.
Manchin, Heitkamp, and King are up for reelection in 2018.
\u201cTaking names? Angus King, Heidi Heitkamp, Mark Warner & Joe Manchin all voted with the GOP to shut down the filibuster on Tillerson\u201d— Howie Klein (@Howie Klein) 1485817067
Kate Addleson, director of the Sierra Club's Virginia chapter, slammed Warner for his vote, stating Monday, "Senator Warner's support for advancing such a contemptible and untrustworthy nominee is extremely disappointing. If Warner remains committed to providing a positive future for Virginians and our nation, he will vote against Tillerson's confirmation."
Tillerson "is an unacceptable candidate for Secretary of State. While CEO of Exxon, he knowingly covered up the reality of climate change, showing his willingness to put his company's profits over people's health and safety," Addleson said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tried and failed to secure an 11th-hour delay on the vote, arguing that Tillerson should first clarify his stance on President Donald Trump's widely-denounced travel ban for immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries.
"Democrats and Republicans alike and the American people most of all deserve to know whether Mr. Tillerson would implement this executive order or not because it seems to directly contradict comments he made under oath to a committee," Schumer said.
During his confirmation hearings in January, Tillerson said he wouldn't rule out a so-called Muslim registry, but that he did not support a "blanket-type" ban on Muslim immigration into the country.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Three Senate Democrats and Senator Angus King (I-Maine) (202-224-5344) sparked outrage on Monday by enabling President Donald Trump's extreme agenda when they allowed the confirmation of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson's as U.S. Secretary of State to advance in a procedural vote.
The cloture vote was 56-43, ending an attempted filibuster that needed only a simple majority to keep the confirmation from moving forward. (See the full roll call vote here.)
And while the vote went largely along party lines, the three Democrats--Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) (202-224-3954), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) (202-224-2043) and Mark Warner (Va.) (202-224-2023)--as well as King (202-224-5344), advanced Tillerson's nomination, putting him one step closer to confirmation even as other Democratic leaders scrambled to delay the decision and an energized resistance movement demands lawmakers show stronger opposition to Trump's nominees.
Now, the Senate may take their final vote on Tillerson's nomination as soon as Wednesday.
Manchin, Heitkamp, and King are up for reelection in 2018.
\u201cTaking names? Angus King, Heidi Heitkamp, Mark Warner & Joe Manchin all voted with the GOP to shut down the filibuster on Tillerson\u201d— Howie Klein (@Howie Klein) 1485817067
Kate Addleson, director of the Sierra Club's Virginia chapter, slammed Warner for his vote, stating Monday, "Senator Warner's support for advancing such a contemptible and untrustworthy nominee is extremely disappointing. If Warner remains committed to providing a positive future for Virginians and our nation, he will vote against Tillerson's confirmation."
Tillerson "is an unacceptable candidate for Secretary of State. While CEO of Exxon, he knowingly covered up the reality of climate change, showing his willingness to put his company's profits over people's health and safety," Addleson said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tried and failed to secure an 11th-hour delay on the vote, arguing that Tillerson should first clarify his stance on President Donald Trump's widely-denounced travel ban for immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries.
"Democrats and Republicans alike and the American people most of all deserve to know whether Mr. Tillerson would implement this executive order or not because it seems to directly contradict comments he made under oath to a committee," Schumer said.
During his confirmation hearings in January, Tillerson said he wouldn't rule out a so-called Muslim registry, but that he did not support a "blanket-type" ban on Muslim immigration into the country.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.