After a five-hour cloture vote that had to wait for Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) to arrive from North Dakota, B. Todd Jones was confirmed by the Senate, 53-42, to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Politico reports. President Obama Obama blamed Republicans for delaying the confirmation vote on Jones and past ATF nominees. Jones is the first Senate-confirmed ATF director. Democrats needed 60 votes to end the debate on Jones. They persuaded Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to support them and then had to wait four hours before Heitkamp, who had been home sick in North Dakota, arrived in Washington. “This position hasn't had a director for seven years and it's way past time that the job is finally filled,” Heitkamp said. The National Rifle Association decided not to oppose the nomination.