Former mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti is a step closer to becoming the United States Ambassador to India after the US Senate adopted the cloture motion indicating that the ruling Democrats have the support of a super-majority in this matter, reported PTI.
The move by Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer came a day after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at its business meeting voted 13-8 in favor of the nomination of Garcetti. Notably, Garcetti’s nomination has been pending before the US Congress since July 2021, when President Joe Biden nominated him for the top diplomatic post, said PTI in the report.
On Thursday, Schumer said on the floor, "I send the cloture motion to the desk," which was adopted by a voice vote.
As per the PTI report, the clerk read a message from 16 Senators and said, “We the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the Senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive counter number 65, Eric Garcetti of California to be ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of India.”
The cloture was agreed to after Schumer sought and received a consent that the names of the 16 Senators are not read. During the same session, Schumer got a similar cloture motion passed on the nomination of Indian American Ravi Chaudhary to be appointed as an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force.
What Is A Cloture Motion?
According to PTI, a cloture motion is a procedural motion that, if adopted, limits further debate on the matter at hand. This means nearly the conclusion of the discussion on a particular issue. The motion allows the majority to defeat efforts by the minority to delay or obstruct proceedings on a matter by showing the matter has the support of a super-majority, PTI added in its report.