The Senate voted on Tuesday (9/4/07) to confirm former Rep. Jim Nussle (R-IA) to head the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), despite a procedural hold on the nomination placed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Sanders placed a hold on the nomination before the August recess, framing it as a protest of President Bush's economic policies, including the White House's fiscal 2008 budget proposal.
Sanders cast the lone vote against Nussle in the Budget Committee, where the nomination passed 22-1. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Security Committee unanimously approved Nussle. If confirmed, Nussle would replace Rob Portman, who announced his resignation from OMB in June.
Nussle served eight terms in Congress, including three as chairman of the House Budget Committee. He left Congress in 2006 after losing a bid to become Iowa's governor.