Update: On December 18, James Murphy was confirmed by the Senate to the role of Member at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Mayer’s confirmation establishes a Republican majority and restores a quorum at the NLRB.
Notably, rather than receiving an individual vote, Murphy was confirmed as part of a package of nearly 100 Trump nominees for roles all across the federal government. Senate Republicans recently changed procedural rules of the Senate to allow voting for or against the confirmation of large groups of nominees en masse, without a numerical limit on how many nominees can be voted on at one time. This will effectively limit debate and accountability on votes for individual nominees, and prevent the opposition party from blocking many individual nominees. However, this procedure will be limited to nominees for lower- and mid-level executive branch nominees, sub-Cabinet level positions, and ambassadorships. It also cannot be used to confirm judicial nominees.
President Trump nominated James Murphy as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If confirmed, the NLRB will have the membership necessary for a quorum and form a Republican majority on the board. Murphy is a former NLRB lawyer and has served as staff for many board members over the years. Most recently, Murphy was the chief counsel for NLRB Board Member Marvin Kaplan.
The NLRB is an independent agency tasked with administering the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which guarantees most private-sector employees the right to form unions and collectively bargain. Under President Trump’s first term the NLRB advanced an anti-worker agenda. This included the NLRB delivering on all the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s top priorities, which narrowed protections for workers covered under the NLRA. In January 2025, President Trump illegal fired NLRB Board Chair Gwynne Wilcox for “disfavoring the interest of employers” in her decisions, effectively destroyed the agency’s independence by suggesting anyone who serves at the agency is expected to favor on the side of employers if they wish to keep their job.