JD Vance Casts Deciding Vote to Block Biden’s NLRB Pick Andrew Harnik/Getty

Vice President-elect JD Vance flew to Washington Wednesday to block President Joe Biden’s nominee for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

By a one-vote margin, senators sank Lauren McFerren’s nomination to continue serving on the NLRB Wednesday afternoon, giving President-elect Donald Trump the opportunity to nominate her replacement.

The 50 to 49 vote ensures Democrats will not maintain a majority on the NLRB into the Trump administration. The term would have lasted additional five years.

Vance put his transition duties on hold in order to block the nominee, flying to Washington for the sole purpose of voting against McFerren.

Breitbart News reported that Vance, who will maintain his Senate seat until resigning before his January 20 swearing-in, is performing numerous duties but concentrating on staffing the administration.

However, Vance said he would “move heaven and earth” if his vote in Washington could block a Biden nominee.

Breitbart reported statements from Vance and a transition team spokesman in November:

“As a co-chairman of the transition it’s vital that I’m focused on making sure President Trump’s government is fully staffed with people who support his America First agenda and will be ready to hit the ground running on January 20th,” Vance said in a statement. “However, it’s also important to me to do everything in my power to block more radical judges from getting confirmed. So while it may be outside of the norm for an incoming VP to take Senate votes in the lame duck period, if my colleagues here in the Senate tell me that we have a real chance of beating one of these nominees, I’ll move heaven and earth to be there for the vote.”

A spokesman for the Trump-Vance transition echoed Vance.

“We cannot allow Chuck Schumer to play games with the transition’s ability to staff the incoming administration,” Brian Hughes, a transition spokesman, said in a statement. “Under no circumstances should we allow radical left judges to be jammed through the Senate at the 11th hour, but the Vice President-elect is needed for the transition to continue working ahead of schedule.”

Vance’s vote Wednesday kept the promise he made in November.

His focus on staffing the administration, which necessarily has kept him out of Washington, is consistent with historical norms, but Vance has bucked those norms to block Biden nominees.

In November, Vance became the first senator in a century to vote on a judicial nomination after being elected to either the presidency or vice presidency.

Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.

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