US President Barack Obama praised action by the Senate to limit the use of a parliamentary procedure that has been used to block his judicial nominees, according to dpa. "I support the step a majority of senators took today to change the way Washington does business," he told reporters Thursday. Obama said the tactic known as a filibuster had "gotten completely out of hand," pointing to 30 of his nominees who had been blocked or stalled by the tactic. The Senate move would help to ensure government works properly, he said. "The gears of government have to work."