Booker tweets about Senate ‘grave yard shift’

The newest member of the Senate was asked to preside over the Senate as Republicans forced Democrats to run out the clock on debate of nomination votes.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) tweeted early Friday morning that he was “Pulling the grave yard shift: Now presiding over The US Senate.”

{mosads}Senate Republicans have refused to yield back any debate time on nomination votes out of frustration that Democrats unilaterally changed the Senate filibuster rules last month.

Republicans are upset that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) triggered the “nuclear option” to change the filibuster rules last month.

The Senate has been in session debating nominations non-stop since 2 p.m. on Wednesday and is expected to have to work through the weekend if Republicans don’t allow shorter debate times. 

Republicans have used the time to criticize the rule change and ObamaCare. But early Friday morning, no one was on the floor despite the GOP’s insistence on using all the debate time.

It is tradition that freshman senators in the majority party preside over the Senate throughout the legislative day. They typically rotate in shifts.

The next vote on a nominee will be around 7 a.m. Friday on Deborah James to be secretary of the Air Force.