The U.S. Senate has confirmed two nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, reshaping the body’s political balance in a significant move for American labour policy.
The confirmations, which took place on August 7, 2026, give the NLRB a 3–1 Republican majority for the first time in years, granting the Board new power to overturn existing precedent.
The Senate approved Republican James Macy, a U.S. Department of Labor official and former management-side labour attorney, alongside Democrat David Prouty, who was renominated for a second term.
Prouty was originally nominated by President Joe Biden in 2021 and now begins a fresh five-year term running until August 2031, as does newly confirmed member Macy.
The two confirmations were part of a broader slate of 74 nominations approved together under S. Res. 817, passing on a 51–47 Senate vote.
The move continues President Donald Trump’s sustained effort to reshape the NLRB, which began when he removed former Democratic member Gwynne Wilcox in January 2025.
Trump subsequently nominated two Republican members, Chairman James Murphy and Scott Mayer, both of whom were confirmed in December 2025.
With four members now seated, the Board holds a three-member Republican majority, which meets the long-standing requirement of at least three affirmative votes needed to reverse existing precedent.
That threshold had been effectively out of reach while the Board operated under a 2–1 political composition, limiting its ability to roll back decisions made during previous administrations.
The timing of the confirmations proved critical, as the Board was set to lose its functioning three-member quorum with Prouty’s previous term expiring this month, a situation that would have paralysed normal operations.
The confirmations therefore avoided what observers had described as a potential quorum gap, keeping the Board operational and newly empowered to act on major labour relations questions.
One vacancy on the five-member Board still remains, leaving room for an additional Trump nomination that could further consolidate the Republican hold on the body.
Board Chairman Murphy’s own term is set to expire on December 16, 2027, meaning further confirmation battles over the NLRB’s composition lie ahead in the coming years.