“I think that we expect it to be a return to business as usual,” one senior administration official said. “This will move the president’s priorities along. The mood here is that there’s a sense of fairness that’s been restored. That was being blocked and everyone’s hands were tied because of Senate procedure.”
Now, with the newly enacted filibuster reform, nominees such as Mel Watt, Obama’s pick to head up the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Federal Reserve nominee Janet Yellen, can move quickly through the Senate — something that seemed to energize aides who have been pummeled by weeks of negative press because of the ineffective Affordable Care Act rollout.
“This is a really good thing,” another senior administration official said. “And to that extent, people are looking forward to it. It enhances the ability of the president to get his nominees involved in his agenda.”
Senior administration officials say it will be up to Reid — not the president — to draw the line on what’s acceptable.
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