Republicans have dropped their blockade of a number of President Obama’s appointees in return for preservation of the Senate filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had threatened the so-called “nuclear option” of using Democrats’ Senate advantage to push through new rules ending Republicans’ ability to stall presidential picks and leave top positions unfilled. After Republicans backed down on Tuesday, the Senate immediately voted to confirm Richard Cordray as the first permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Board. The deal also means confirmation votes for six other nominees, including Thomas Perez for Labor Secretary and Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency. In return, Democrats agreed to replace two Obama picks for the National Labor Relations Board appointed during the Senate recess. The new picks are Nancy Schiffer, an attorney with the AFL-CIO, and Kent Hirozawa, the chief counsel to current NLRB chair Mark Pearce.