Senate Republicans to vote on Evers’ cabinet confirmations

Confirmation votes were once pro forma exercises in the Senate but they morphed into another partisan battlefield after Evers defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2018.

Republican leaders have delayed votes on some of Evers’ top appointees for months, allowing them to serve but leaving them vulnerable to removal. The Senate voted against confirming Brad Pfaff as agriculture secretary in 2019, angering Evers so much he decried the move as “political B.S.” and “amoral and stupid.” Pfaff went on to win a Senate seat as a Democrat in the 2020 elections.

Republicans have been wary of Thompson, saying they’re concerned he worked as a lobbyist on transportation issues and advocated for raising taxes to build roads. They’ve also expressed reservations about Crim, who was charged with child abuse in 2005 after she jabbed her 5-year-old son’s hand with a pen. The case was ultimately dismissed after Crim successfully completed the terms of a deferred prosecution.

The Evers administration and Republicans also are sparring over Sandra Naas, Evers’ pick to replace Natural Resources Board Chairman Fred Prehn.

Prehn’s term expired in May and Evers appointed Naas to replace him, a move that would give Evers appointees majority control of a board that determines wildlife and environmental policy. Prehn, a Walker appointee, has refused to step down, citing a 1964 state Supreme Court ruling that gubernatorial appointees can serve until the Senate confirms their replacement. Republicans have made no moves toward a vote on Naas.

Prehn was forced to cancel the board’s September meeting after Department of Natural Resources officials said they had no items to discuss. Prehn accused the department of not wanting to work with him. Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit seeking a court order forcing Prehn off the board but a Dane County judge rejected it, citing the Supreme Court precedent.

Dozens of appointees to lower-level boards, committees and commissions also were on Tuesday’s docket. Two of the more prominent positions up for votes including Wisconsin Ethics Commission Administrator Daniel Carlton and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority Executive Director Joaquin Altoro.

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