Senate expected to vote on Commerce nominee Penny Pritzker next week
WASHINGTON — The Senate is likely to vote early next week on whether Chicago billionaire Penny Pritzker gets the top job at the Commerce Department, a Senate aide said Friday.
Nominated in May by President Obama, Pritzker, 54, is a business executive and Democratic mega-donor whose family founded the Hyatt Hotels chain. She is among the nation’s wealthiest people and helped lead Obama’s campaigns for the presidency.
The timing of the vote will be set by the Senate’s majority and minority leaders, the aide said, but it’s expected to happen before lawmakers leave June 28 for the Fourth of July recess.
On June 10, Pritzker’s nomination won unanimous approval from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, a signal that she’s likely to be approved by the full Senate.
Last Monday, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) sent more questions for Pritzker to answer, chiefly about $53.6 million in compensation she received from a family trust based in the Bahamas.
His spokeswoman could not be immediately reached for comment Friday on whether Pritzker had replied.
A vote also is expected next week on whether to confirm Anthony Foxx to lead the Department of Transportation. If approved, he would replace Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican and former congressman from Illinois.
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