by Rick Manning
President Joe Biden is engaged in an end of presidency power play to keep Democrat control over the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by pushing a renewal of current chair Lauren McFerran to another term. Senate Republicans should do everything in their power to stop this power play and allow newly elected President Donald Trump to name the next Chairperson. This means that they have to all show up to each lame duck Senate session to stop any funny business.
While the NLRB is a somewhat obscure agency, it is significant as it governs the rules for unionization of the private sector workforce.
Among the absurd decisions made by McFerran’s NLRB, a company fired two employees for covering up a surveillance camera and making a threatening joke about another employee’s sexual orientation. Both fired employees admitted to their actions. Yet, McFerran’s NLRB ruled the firing illegal because the employees had in the past engaged in union organizing activity.
The decision was overturned in federal court which called it “nonsense”.
Another of many examples of McFerran putting the whole weight of her body on the side of protecting repulsive behavior occurred in the Liam Elastomers case where employees involved in union organizing activity were protected from discipline or discharge even if they have engaged in racist, sexist and/or profane behavior in the workplace. Apparently in McFerran world, being a racist lout disrupting the workplace is allowable so long as you can contend that you are a union organizer.
Adjusting to the ebbs and flows of American politics are normal in D.C. It is not surprising that the outgoing Biden administration would attempt to hamstring their successor by locking in appointees during the succession.
However, it would be unconscionable if Senate Republicans failed to show up to work in the lame duck session, allowing the Biden administration to subvert the Trump administration through the confirmation of leadership to important policy making bodies like the NLRB.
Let’s be clear. This extension of Democrat control over this important agency that micromanages down to the level of who can be and who can’t be fired, is a direct attack on the Donald Trump presidency and his ability to make his mark.
We have seen some GOP senators hold Trump cabinet and other nominees to a higher standard than they held those proposed by President Biden four years ago. Now, incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has to show his leadership by uniting his conference in showing up to work so Democrats cannot change law or hamstring President-elect Trump by extending the Biden presidency past Jan. 20, 2025.
America spoke. America wants Donald Trump to lead the country. Senate Republicans have a responsibility to do their part in making that happen. Not only should they give Donald Trump the cabinet he wants, just as they did for his predecessor, they should end the Democrats’ attempt to extend the Biden presidency. Showing up for work and blocking the confirmation of Biden’s NLRB chair is an important step in allowing Donald Trump to put his team in place as he seeks to restore America’s place in the world and economic prosperity.
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Rick Manning is the President of Americans for Limited Government.
