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| Democrats say they want more information on Tom Price and Stephen Mnuchin |
Democrats on the US Senate Finance
Committee are boycotting votes for two of President Donald Trump's
cabinet nominees, forcing a postponement.
They said they wanted
more information about the financial activities of health nominee Tom
Price and treasury pick Stephen Mnuchin.Other Trump choices face votes, among them Jeff Sessions as attorney general.
On Monday the acting attorney general was sacked for questioning the legality of Mr Trump's immigration directive.
It imposes a temporary travel ban on seven mainly-Muslim countries.
Acting Attorney General Sally Yates had been appointed by President Barack Obama.
Finance Committee Democrats told reporters outside the hearing that they were seeking more information about Tom Price's trading in health company stock.
The Georgia Congressman has been nominated for the post of health and human services secretary in the new administration.
The senators said they were also concerned by reports of financier Stephen Mnuchin's behaviour involving foreclosures at his former bank OneWest.
But Senator Orrin Hatch, the Republican committee chair, described the Democrats' behaviour as "posturing and acting like idiots", AP reported.
Democrats get tough, by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News
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| Democrats explained to the press why they were boycotting the Finance Committee votes |
The unexpected walkout by Democrats during scheduled votes to advance two of Donald Trump's more controversial cabinet nominees may be the first shots that lead to total partisan warfare on Capitol Hill.
Democratic senators had been subjected to growing criticism from the grass-roots Left for being too accommodating to Mr Trump and his nominees. On Sunday, for instance, more than 200 protesters descended on Senator Diane Feinstein's California house after she voted to confirm four earlier administration nominees.
Now, it seems, Democrats could be heeding the anger of their base and taking a more combative posture toward Republicans in general and Mr Trump in particular. These politicians likely saw Acting Attorney General Sally Yates become a liberal hero for defying the president on Monday night and are recognising that their party's anger is a force that could propel their careers or tear them apart.
This does not bode well for Mr Trump's Supreme Court nominee, who will be announced on Tuesday night. While Senate Democrats have had to rely on byzantine parliamentary manoeuvres to delay Mr Trump's cabinet picks, they have a powerful weapon - the filibuster - at their disposal to indefinitely block the president's high court selection.
A battle is also raging in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where a vote is expected on Mr Sessions.
An early Trump backer, Senator Sessions has faced racism allegations which overshadowed his confirmation hearings.
Committee chairman Senator Chuck Grassley began Tuesday's meeting by saying that neither Mr Sessions nor any of his current staff, "had a role in formulating or drafting the executive orders" - including the controversial travel ban.
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| Mr Sessions faced two days of intense grilling during his confirmation hearings |
Several Democratic Senators have spoken in the committee meeting to say that they intend to vote against the 69-year-old Alabama senator.
Sen Diane Feinstein criticised his role in Mr Trump's election campaign and his closeness to the new president during it.
"It is very difficult to reconcile for me the independence and objectivity necessary for the position of attorney general with the partisanship this nominee has demonstrated," she said.
If Mr Sessions' nomination is approved by the judiciary committee, the full Senate - where Republicans hold a 52-48 majority - is expected to vote on it by the end of the week.
The Alabama senator faced two days of tough questioning during his confirmation hearings this month.
One of the most conservative members of the Senate, Mr Sessions was denied a federal judgeship in 1986 after the judiciary committee heard testimony about his remarks on race.
Also on Tuesday:
- Mr Trump's choice to fill the long-vacant seat on the Supreme Court is due to be announced
- The Senate Energy Committee approves Ryan Zinke to head the Interior Department and Rick Perry to head the Energy Department
- The Education Committee approves Betsy DeVos as education secretary
- The full Senate will vote on whether to confirm Elaine Chao as transportation secretary
She was sacked by President Trump, who accused her of "betraying" the justice department and being "weak on borders".
She had said in a letter that she was "not convinced" that the president's order on immigration was lawful.
Mr Trump replaced her with Dana Boente, a federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The immigration order, signed by the president on Friday, temporarily banned nationals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the US. It sparked protests in the US and abroad.
The White House has consistently defended Mr Trump's executive order despite the controversy, with press secretary Sean Spicer saying diplomats should "get with the programme".
