RALEIGH, N.C. – The tug of war over whether North Carolina's GOP-led legislature can subject the Cabinet choices of a new Democratic governor to confirmation has intensified, with senators agreeing to subpoena a department head who failed to appear before a committee.
The Senate panel voted Thursday to compel Gov. Roy Cooper's military and veterans' affairs chief to appear next week to testify. The decision came after Secretary Larry Hall didn't show for three recent confirmation hearings.
Republicans passed a law before Cooper took office subjecting his Cabinet to the "advice and consent" of the Senate. Cooper sued to overturn it.
A court panel recently declined to block enforcement of the law until an expected trial next month. But Cooper and GOP lawmakers disagree over whether that means hearings can be held.
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