Source:Senate Democrats– U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senators Jeff Merkley and Tom Udall in the background.

“Senate Majority Harry Reid, speaking to reporters in the Capitol, said today there is now a new normal in the Senate: “qualified executive nominees must not be blocked on procedural supermajority votes.”

From Senate Democrats

Looks like the United States Senate avoided the so-called nuclear option as cooler heads prevailed. And the Senate will not become the House where the majority runs over the minority and votes quickly with very little if any input from the minority. And the Senate will remain the upper chamber of Congress and not become another House of Representatives.

With this deal, President Obama will get most if not all of his executive administration nominees. With the minority now and in the future still able to block legislation if they have at least forty-one votes and controversial judicial nominees but the minority and in this case the Republican minority led by Mitch McConnell, won’t just be able to block nominees just to prevent offices they believe shouldn’t exist in the first place because big business in this case doesn’t like them, because they regulate them and qualified nominees will get their votes in the future. And these offices will be filled.