It is important to note that Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted affirmatively to pass all National Labor Relations Board nominees out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Her five yes votes in yesterday's committee mark-up included Richard Griffin and Sharon Block, the two nominees that met Republican resistance. No other Republican Senator on the HELP Committee voted in favor of Griffin or Block.

Sen. Murkowski should be recognized and appreciated for her principled vote. Alaska's senior senator has previously stated that presidential nominees should be brought to the floor of the Senate. Sen. Murkowski may well oppose the nominations of Griffin and Block on the floor of the Senate, but her exemplary courage and high standard in the HELP NLRB nominee mark-up only emphasizes the lack of the same within the Republican Senate Conference.