Senate Republicans Block Two Obama Nominees

The showdown signals a return to congressional trench warfare over executive branch confirmations

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Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked confirmation of two Obama Administration nominees, signaling a return to the chamber’s protracted fight over White House appointments that led to talk of filibuster reform over the summer.

GOP Senators blocked the appointments of Rep. Melvin Watts, Obama’s pick to head up the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and Patricia Millet, whom Obama nominated to a seat on the high-proifile U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.