Indian-American among Obama’s nominees confirmed by Senate

“While this is a good first step,there are still dozens of nominees on hold who deserve a similar vote,and I will be looking for action from the Senate when it returns from recess,” President Barack Obama said soon thereafter.

Obama warned that if the Senate does not approves confirm his nominees who are critical to run his administration,he reserve the right to use his recess appointment authority in the future.

Kumar,who served as a special adviser to the Clinton foundation and was a news anchor in India from 1970 to 1985,was confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service.

President and managing partner of KaiZen Innovation,Kumar is known for his expertise of public-private partnership.

“At the beginning of the week,a staggering 63 nominees had been stalled in the Senate because one or more senators placed a hold on their nomination. In most cases,these holds have had nothing to do with the nominee’s qualifications or even political views,and these nominees have already received broad,bipartisan support in the committee process,” Obama said.

“Instead,many holds were motivated by a desire to leverage projects for a Senator’s state or simply to frustrate progress. It is precisely these kinds of tactics that enrage the American people,” Obama said.

“And so on Tuesday,I told Senator McConnell that if Republican senators did not release these holds,I would exercise my authority to fill critically-needed positions in the federal government temporarily through the use of recess appointments,” he said.

“This is a rare but not unprecedented step that many other presidents have taken. Since that meeting,I am gratified that Republican senators have responded by releasing many of these holds and allowing 29 nominees to receive a vote in the Senate,” he said.

The nominees confirmed last night included Charles Collyns,deputy under secretary at the Treasury Department,Marisa Lago and Mary John Miller,assistant Treasury secretaries; Caryn Wagner,assistant secretary of homeland security; Robert A. Petzel,under secretary for health at the Department of Veterans Affairs; Mary Sally Matiella,assistant secretary of the Army; Douglas B Wilson,an assistant secretary of defense; and Ellen Gloninger Murray,assistant secretary of health and human services.