Senate OKs Obama picks, but other battles brew

Published October 30, 2013 2:26am ET



WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved President Barack Obama’s picks for top posts at the Federal Communications Commission and National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday, but the chamber approached showdowns over other nominees that were starting to revive the partisan rancor a similar fight ignited last summer.

By unanimous consent, senators approved campaign fundraiser and former lobbyist Thomas Wheeler as chairman of the FCC after Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, ended a procedural blockade of the nomination. Cruz had complained previously that Wheeler had been unclear about whether the FCC could force nonprofit groups to reveal information about political contributors. But Cruz said Wheeler told him at a meeting Tuesday that doing so was not a priority, so he ended his objections to Wheeler.

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