UPDATEx2: Teddy Partridge at Firedoglake has a great post on this that I only now became aware of. Apparently Coburn and Enzi both deny placing the hold.
UPDATE: The names of Senators who have denied placing the hold are crossed out in the list below. So far, the most prominent probability is Enzi, though his office says they have no idea who placed the hold...
As my brother hekebolos reports at Calitics, Claire McCaskill is alleging that Obama's choice for Labor Secretary, the outstanding progressive Hilda Solis, has been blocked anonymously by a Republican Senator.
As we have seen in the past, the rules of the Senate (desperately in need of a change for transparency's sake) allow for anonymous holds to be placed on nominees:
While other new Cabinet members are already hard at work, the confirmation of Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, as President Barack Obama's Labor secretary remains stalled in a Senate committee.
At least one unidentified Republican senator is using a parliamentary procedure to holdup Solis' confirmation, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, alleged from the Senate floor Thursday.
The anonymous hold - as the informal delay tactic is known - essentially prevents the full Senate from voting on Solis' confirmation by threatening a filibuster. It could be lifted at any time.
The hold was placed on the nomination because of Solis' support for legislation aimed at facilitating union organization and regarding pay-discrimination, and for non-responsive answers during her confirmation hearing, the Washington, DC-based Congress Daily reported Friday.
There can be little question that the hold was placed to throw a monkey wrench into the works of the Employee Free Choice Act, of which Hilda Solis was a co-sponsor. This is all Republicans have left: obstruction of the Change agenda for which Americans voted so overwhelmingly.
Not only does this hold prevent us from having effective leadership in the Department of Labor at a time when the United States can ill afford voids of leadership, it also prevents Hilda Solis from resigning her House seat in CA-32. Until Ms. Solis is confirmed, she cannot responsibly resign; until she resigns, Governor Schwarzenegger cannot call a special election. So until this situation is resolved, we not only lack a labor secretary, the citizens of CA-32 will also be delayed in choosing their next representative.
It's up to us to expose the obstructionist, knuckle-dragging coward who placed the anonymous hold on the nomination of Hilda Solis. The only way to do this is to call the offices of every Republican Senator to ask whether they placed the hold. We did it before in exposing Stevens' hold on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, and we can do it again for Hilda Solis.
Even though they are Republicans, please be polite but firm when you call. The more belligerent you are, the less helpful the staffers with whom you are speaking will be. The numbers for the Senators are below. Please post in the comments if you get a confirmed answer yes or no, and this diary will be updated to that effect.
The numbers for each Senator are:
Lamar Alexander (TN)
(202) 224-4944
John Barrasso (WY)
(202) 224-6441
Robert Bennett (UT)
(202) 224-5444
Christopher Bond (MO)
(202) 224-5721
Sam Brownback (KS)
(202) 224-6521
Jim Bunning (KY)
(202) 224-4343
Richard Burr (NC)
(202) 224-3154
Saxby Chambliss (GA)
(202) 224-3521
Tom Coburn (OK)
(202) 224-5754
Thad Cochran (MS)
(202) 224-5054
Susan Collins (ME)
(202) 224-2523
Bob Corker (TN)
(202) 224-3344
John Cornyn (TX)
(202) 224-2934
Mike Crapo (ID)
(202) 224-6142
Jim DeMint (SC)
(202) 224-6121
John Ensign (NV)
(202) 224-6244
Michael Enzi (WY)
(202) 224-3424
Lindsey Graham (SC)
(202) 224-5972
Chuck Grassley (IA)
(202) 224-3744
Judd Gregg (NH)
(202) 224-3324
Orrin Hatch (UT)
(202) 224-5251
(though it's almost certain not Hatch, we have no confirmation of this)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
(202) 224-5922
James Inhofe (OK)
(202) 224-4721
Johnny Isakson (GA)
(202) 224-3643
Mike Johanns (NE)
(202) 224-4224
John Kyl (AZ)
(202) 224-4521
Richard Lugar (IN)
(202) 224-4814
Mel Martinez (FL)
(202) 224-3041
John McCain (AZ)
(202) 224-2235
Mitch McConnell (KY)
(202) 224-2541
Lisa Murkowski (AK)
(202) 224-6665
James Risch (ID)
(202) 224-2752
Pat Roberts (KS)
(202) 224-4774
Jeff Sessions (AL)
(202) 224-4124
Richard Shelby (AL)
(202) 224-5744
Olympia Snowe (ME)
(202) 224-5344
Arlen Specter (PA)
(202) 224-4254
John Thune (SD)
(202) 224-2321
David Vitter (LA)
(202) 224-4623
George Voinovich (OH)
(202) 224-3353
Roger Wicker (MS)
(202) 224-6253
Thank you everyone!