Senate Republicans bypass Democratic boycott to approve Trump's Cabinet picks

Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday approved President Donald Trump's nominees for secretary of the Treasury and secretary of Health and Human Services without any votes from Democrats.

Republicans used a parliamentary tactic to change the rules of the committee, allowing allowed them to pass the nominations on to the full Senate without Democrats in attendance.

Democrats had boycotted a Tuesday vote on the two Cabinet picks, Steven Mnuchin for Treasury and Tom Price for HHS, by not attending the vote. One Democrats had to be in attendance in order for the vote to take place.

"They followed a cheap political ploy and they should be ashamed," said Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the chair of the committee.

Democrats said they had more questions for Price and Mnuchin regarding business and investment practices undertaken by the nominees before they could vote.

Republicans, on the other hand, insisted that Democrats were simply trying to hold up the nominations because they do not like Trump.

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