Senate Republicans Push for Confirmation Changes

Senate Republicans haven’t made any moves yet to alter Senate procedures to speed up the confirmation of President Trump’s non-cabinet and judicial nominees all at once. If everything goes as planned, they expect to see the candidate in question by the weekend.

GOP Pursues Nuclear Option After Democratic Negotiations Fail

Tonight, Senators will vote on a resolution proposed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) aimed at facilitating the approval of one fallen candidate along with a group of lower-profile nominees.

This method is intended to curtail the Senate’s lengthy debate over the 48 candidates that he hopes to confirm as a package later today.

Senate GOP Pivots Toward Nuclear Option Following Deal Breakdowns with Democrats

Typically, a day must pass before the Senate can vote to overcome a filibuster on a slate of candidates. This means that Tuesday will be a day of preparation, leading to votes on Wednesday.

So, Wednesday is the important day to watch.

There’s a chance that the candidate won’t achieve the 60 votes required to defeat the filibuster.

Trump’s Candidates Will Set New Rules for GOP If Approved by Democrats

Nevertheless, Thune plans to reverse the vote to reflect the general opinion (in this case, NOES) and initiate a re-vote. According to Senate rules, the “winning” senator in such cases can request a new vote.

Thune argues that the Senate precedent should only require a simple majority to overcome the filibuster when it comes to lower-tier nominees. However, the chair will ultimately make the ruling. Still, that’s what Thune is aiming for. He is trying to establish that a simple majority can indeed defeat the filibuster under these circumstances. If the Senate achieves this, Thune will have set a new precedent for future nominations of this kind. He’s calling for a re-vote after the previous attempt to defeat the filibuster fell short. In essence, just a simple majority—not the usual 60 votes—would suffice.

This could create a new standard for overcoming the filibuster in relation to lower-level candidates. After the Senate navigates through their “post-coagulation” period on Thursday, they anticipate ultimately voting to confirm the group of 48 nominees.