Senators are forgoing the first days of a monthlong August recess to grind out confirmations for President Donald Trump’s civilian nominees who have faced what the GOP calls “unprecedented” obstruction by Democrats.
Pressure from Trump, coupled with procedural delay tactics by Democrats, has complicated the upper chamber’s ability to embark on its extended break. Lawmakers plan to use the time for family, campaigning, and selling the president’s signature tax law, which has faced lackluster approval ratings.
The GOP-led chamber was initially set to leave Thursday afternoon until early September. The Republican-controlled House bailed early, on July 22, after infighting over the Jeffrey Epstein files paralyzed the lower chamber.
Negotiations on fast-tracking some confirmations continued Friday between the White House and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as Republicans chipped away at pending nominees.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) vowed to keep the Senate in session indefinitely until either an unspecified number of nominees are confirmed or Democrats allow a tranche to be swiftly approved via voice votes.
“Why should [these nominees] be held up and filibustered? The Democrats can’t tell you why,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) said. “They have no idea why, other than it was the nomination by President Trump. This isn’t about qualifications. It’s just about resisting President Trump.”
Republicans appeared set on adjourning for recess, but only after confirming more civilian nominees for Trump than at the same point under former President Joe Biden. The Senate remained a few dozen shy of the unofficial threshold.
As of Friday, 125 civilian Trump nominees were confirmed, but with zero via voice vote. As of Aug. 1, 2021, Biden had 49 confirmed via voice vote and 150 confirmed in total by Aug. 11, 2021, when senators that year went on August recess.
Notably, Senate Republicans appeared unwilling to confirm the full list of the dozens of pending Trump nominees, a demand that GOP lawmakers and staff say would be unachievable even if they stayed the entire month.
“The Senate must stay in Session, taking no recess, until the entire Executive Calendar is CLEAR!!!” Trump posted to Truth Social Thursday night. “We have to save our Country from the Lunatic Left. Republicans, for the health and safety of the USA, DO YOUR JOB, and confirm All Nominees. They should NOT BE FORCED TO WAIT.”
It was not immediately clear what demands Democrats made in exchange for potentially speeding up confirmations. Some members, such as third-ranked Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), have cited must-have guarantees from Trump, like picking Democratic nominees for bipartisan and independent agencies.
But complicating prospects of a deal is the pressure on Schumer to embrace all-out resistance among his most progressive members. One of them, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), earlier this week publicly berated Democratic colleagues for being “complicit” with Trump.
However, the longer Democrats slow-walk confirmations, the more likely Republicans say they are to go “nuclear” with rules changes that would only need a simple majority to streamline the process.
SENATE REPUBLICANS WEIGH RULE CHANGES, RECESS APPOINTMENTS TO BREAK NOMINEE LOGJAM
“We’ve been talking about a rule change conceptually, and our folks are going back and drafting a specific rule for us to react to,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA). “But I’ve never seen my caucus react quickly. It usually takes a couple of days to debate it and discuss it and cuss it and rediscuss it.”
One bright spot for senators eager to leave town was that on Friday, the Senate mustered bipartisan support to pass its first appropriations bills, which comprise the annual budget for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.