On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) voted 13-10 along party lines in favor of Craig Becker’s nomination to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This vote follows a contentious hearing over Becker’s nomination that was held on Tuesday. It was widely believed that once the HELP Committee cleared Becker’s nomination, it would be sent quickly to the Senate floor for a final vote before Republican Scott Brown was sworn in as senator, an event originally scheduled for next Thursday. This plan might be derailed, however, as it was announced yesterday that Brown could be sworn in as early as 5:00 pm today, raising the chances that Senate Republicans will be able to stop Becker’s confirmation.