US Senate confirms Trump nominees for labor board, cementing Republican control

The US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominees for two positions on the federal labour law enforcement agency on Friday. The move provides Republicans with the necessary votes to overturn several key decisions that previously supported union organising.

The Republican-led Senate approved a block of over 70 federal government nominees in a 51–47 vote. Among those confirmed were James Macy and David Prouty to serve on the National Labor Relations Board.

James Macy, a Republican, held several roles at the US Department of Labour after spending four decades representing employers in labour disputes. David Prouty, a former union lawyer serving as the board’s sole Democrat, was confirmed for a second term.

The five-member board already held a 2–1 Republican majority prior to the confirmation vote. By tradition, the panel maintains two Democrats, two Republicans, and a chair designated by the president.

The NLRB investigates complaints from private-sector workers and unions whilst overseeing workplace elections. Formal complaints filed by the general counsel are heard by administrative judges before reaching the full board, whose rulings can be appealed in federal court.

This internal process faces ongoing legal challenges from companies such as Amazon and SpaceX, which argue that the framework violates the US Constitution.

Under long-standing tradition, the board requires three affirmative votes to overturn established precedent. Existing Republican appointees Scott Mayer and Chairman James Murphy had previously stated they would not break with that practice without a third vote.

Trump’s appointees are expected to target policies favoured by trade unions that contributed to a recent surge in organising efforts.

Murphy and Mayer have already revived a rule making it harder to hold companies accountable as joint employers of contract workers, whilst relinquishing jurisdiction over a SpaceX case to another federal agency.

The board previously lost its quorum and was unable to process cases last year after Trump took the unprecedented step of removing Democratic member Gwynne Wilcox. Her dismissal left hundreds of cases unresolved for nearly a year.

Wilcox sued and brief reinstatement was granted before a federal appeals court paused and reversed the decision.

In June, the US Supreme Court upheld Trump’s removal of a Democratic Federal Trade Commission member, ruling that statutory protections against removal without cause were invalid. Wilcox’s petition for Supreme Court review regarding an identical protection remains pending.