In a single action, Senate Republicans confirmed more than 100 of President Donald Trump’s nominees, reducing the backlog of unfilled appointments.
Since the rule change went into force, this move marks the biggest block of confirmations. Former Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, who will represent the Bahamas, and former White House Presidential Personnel Office director Sergio Gor, who will represent India, were among those authorized.
Following months of Democratic resistance that had delayed the confirmation process to a standstill, Republicans invoked the so-called “nuclear option”—a party-line rules change—to expedite it.
For a brief period, some Republicans thought about permitting President Trump to nominate people during break, which would allow him to fill positions while the Senate was not in session. But in the end, GOP leaders turned down that notion, claiming it might backfire when their party is next in the minority.
As his administration continues to fill important positions throughout the federal government amid persistent partisan impasse, the mass confirmation represents a significant success for Trump.
Senate Republicans considered amending the chamber’s confirmation procedure in September because they were dealing with a backlog of judicial nominations brought on by minority Democrats’ stalling tactics.
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has come under fire from President Donald Trump for upholding the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition, which gave home-state senators a chance to comment on nominees and, if the slips were removed, virtually prevented their confirmation.
To expedite confirmations, GOP members debated a number of suggestions prior to a meeting on Wednesday. The top choice, according to The Hill, was similar to a Democratic proposal that was put forth two years prior and would have allowed for a single vote on up to ten nominations. Other suggestions included eliminating the need for procedural votes, drastically cutting down on debate time, and making certain nominations nondebatable.
Republicans could have taken action without Democratic support because rule changes only needed a simple majority. However, such a move—referred to as a “nuclear option”—would have shown how politicized the conflict is. According to the article, a GOP working group was assigned to figure out the specifics.
The group’s chairman, Alabama GOP Sen. Katie Britt, stated, “Everyone had been talking through various options.” “One of the things that that process did was empower the committee process.”
Britt stated that she had been working with Democrats to create a rule modification that would be appropriate. The group spent a portion of the August break figuring out how to proceed with the remaining nominees.
As Senate Democrats continued to impede the confirmation process, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) declared early last month that he would keep the chamber in session for a weekend in order to advance some of Trump’s outstanding nominations ahead of the planned summer recesses.
On the 4th, the Senate was supposed to start its customary August recess, but Democrats’ demands for roll call votes on even the most routine candidates cast doubt on that plan.
According to Just The News, Trump warned that his nominees shouldn’t be “forced to wait” any longer and pushed senators to postpone their break.
One of the more well-known candidates on the calendar, Jeanine Pirro, Trump’s choice to be the top prosecutor in Washington, D.C., was confirmed by the Senate. Among the more than 150 awaiting confirmations was the former Fox News anchor, judge, and prosecutor from New York.
Negotiations to forward a larger slate of nominations broke down just hours before the Senate left town, and Pirro was approved.
Only seven of Trump’s selections were confirmed by lawmakers before they left for the rest of August.
After negotiations between Senate Republicans, the White House, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer broke down, a compromise that would have permitted hundreds more nominations fell down.
