3 Democrats Say They Will Oppose Summers for Fed

Lawrence H. Summers’ prospects to become chairman of the Federal Reserve have turned murkier after three key Democratic senators signaled in recent days that they would oppose his nomination.

Senator Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana and member of the Banking Committee, said on Friday that he would vote against sending Mr. Summers’ nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. Two of Mr. Tester’s fellow Democrats on the committee, Senators Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, have also signaled through their spokespeople that they would vote no.

Such resistance complicates matters for Mr. Summers because without the votes of those three Democrats, he will need support from Republicans on the Banking Committee. Democrats have a three-vote majority on the committee, which would hold the first vote on any nominee to lead the Federal Reserve.

It is not clear how the rest of the committee might vote. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, is believed to be reluctant to support Mr. Summers but has not said publicly how she would vote.

Mr. Obama is expected to nominate Mr. Summers, the former Clinton Treasury secretary and Obama economic adviser, to succeed the current Fed chairman, Ben S. Bernanke.

It is unusual for senators to voice opposition to a nomination before the White House has even submitted it to the Senate. As skepticism grows among members of the president’s own party, the White House has made it clear to Democrats on Capitol Hill that Mr. Summers is Mr. Obama’s choice.

Republicans, too, are wary of Mr. Summers. Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, and Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas have both said that they would not vote for Mr. Summers. Mr. Roberts said, “I wouldn’t want Larry Summers to mow my yard.”

Mr. Summers, who was also the president of Harvard, has attracted resistance for a variety of reasons, among them his comments, widely construed as sexist, about the aptitude of women in math and science. Senators like Mr. Tester also say that Mr. Summers has too often promoted the interests of large financial institutions over those of small community banks.

Sunday Breakfast Menu, Sept. 15

President Obama leads the lineup on the Sunday talk shows this week, as he and others discuss the challenges in Syria and looming battles between the White House and Congress over the federal budget and his health care law.

The president appears on ABC News’s “This Week,” where he will also discuss the state of the economy five years after the 2008 financial meltdown. Representatives Justin Amash, Republican of Michigan, and Donna Edwards, Democrat of Maryland, participate in the show’s round table discussion.

CBS’s “Face the Nation” has Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the Democratic chairman of the Armed Services Committee. The former secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, is also a guest.

Russia’s role in negotiations to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control comes up on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” which has Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, a Republican on the Armed Services Committee. The subject shifts to the economy with two major players in the financial crisis: Henry M. Paulson Jr., the former Treasury secretary, and Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the Democrat who was at the helm of the Financial Services Committee.

Four House members appear on CNN’s “State of the Union”: Mike Rogers of Michigan, the Republican chairman of the Intelligence committee; Adam Schiff of California, a Democrat on the same panel; Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight and Government Reform committee; and Jason Chaffetz of Utah, the Republican chairman of an Oversight panel with jurisdiction over national security and foreign relations. In the show’s second hour, guests include: Senator Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania, and Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, as well as a former deputy secretary of state, a former United Nations weapons inspector, and a former commander of the military’s Central Command.

On “Fox News Sunday,” John Roberts replaces the host Chris Wallace. He talks to two Maryland lawmakers: Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, and Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the Homeland Security committee. They chat about the difficulty of securing the Syrian government’s chemical weapons “and the potential pitfalls of relying on Russia.”

Mr. Menendez also appears on Univision’s “Al Punto,” as does Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Representative Jose Serrano, Democrat of New York.

Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, talks about Syria and immigration on Telemundo’s “Enfoque.” Lori Montenegro will replace the host José Díaz-Balart.

On a replay of Bloomberg News’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic whip, discusses Syria and the upcoming budget battle.

Sunday Breakfast Menu, Sept. 15

President Obama leads the lineup on the Sunday talk shows this week, as he and others discuss the challenges in Syria and looming battles between the White House and Congress over the federal budget and his health care law.

The president appears on ABC News’s “This Week,” where he will also discuss the state of the economy five years after the 2008 financial meltdown. Representatives Justin Amash, Republican of Michigan, and Donna Edwards, Democrat of Maryland, participate in the show’s round table discussion.

CBS’s “Face the Nation” has Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the Democratic chairman of the Armed Services Committee. The former secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, is also a guest.

Russia’s role in negotiations to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control comes up on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” which has Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, a Republican on the Armed Services Committee. The subject shifts to the economy with two major players in the financial crisis: Henry M. Paulson Jr., the former Treasury secretary, and Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the Democrat who was at the helm of the Financial Services Committee.

Four House members appear on CNN’s “State of the Union”: Mike Rogers of Michigan, the Republican chairman of the Intelligence committee; Adam Schiff of California, a Democrat on the same panel; Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight and Government Reform committee; and Jason Chaffetz of Utah, the Republican chairman of an Oversight panel with jurisdiction over national security and foreign relations. In the show’s second hour, guests include: Senator Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania, and Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, as well as a former deputy secretary of state, a former United Nations weapons inspector, and a former commander of the military’s Central Command.

On “Fox News Sunday,” John Roberts replaces the host Chris Wallace. He talks to two Maryland lawmakers: Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, and Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the Homeland Security committee. They chat about the difficulty of securing the Syrian government’s chemical weapons “and the potential pitfalls of relying on Russia.”

Mr. Menendez also appears on Univision’s “Al Punto,” as does Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Representative Jose Serrano, Democrat of New York.

Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, talks about Syria and immigration on Telemundo’s “Enfoque.” Lori Montenegro will replace the host José Díaz-Balart.

On a replay of Bloomberg News’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic whip, discusses Syria and the upcoming budget battle.