Senate Majority Leader Moves Quickly on Trump’s Candidates

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is pushing through President Donald Trump’s nominees at an impressive rate, despite facing significant delays from Senate Democrats.

Democrats have attempted to stall nearly all presidential nominees, but Thune notes that the swift approvals for Senate appointments are outpacing the timelines seen in previous administrations. In several interviews, Thune has expressed frustration with the Democrats’ tactics, yet Senate Republicans remain steadfast in their support for the president’s selections.

“They want to block everything, even candidates who have widespread bipartisan backing,” Thune remarked, highlighting the lack of timely consideration for presidential nominees. “I think Americans find that tedious.”

A confirmation involving former Republican Senator Billy Long from Missouri allowed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to announce the 80th confirmed nominee since January. Under Thune’s leadership, the Senate has expedited the handling of civilian candidates more than was done during Joe Biden’s presidency or the initial year of Trump’s first term.

As of June 5, Senate confirmations for candidates have exceeded those seen during Biden’s administration, with statistics showing 16 confirmations from the first Trump term and 33 during Biden’s tenure, according to data from the Senate Republican Communications Center (SRCC).

Despite this progress, nearly 100 candidates are still awaiting consideration, as per the Senate’s executive calendar.

The backlog arises from certain Senate Democrats who have placed holds on numerous Trump nominees, necessitating individual roll-call votes to confirm each candidate, thus consuming limited floor time. In fact, over 60% of the Senate votes during the current Congress relate to nominations, according to the SRCC.

Thune also pointed out the quicker confirmation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, albeit his nomination still required a roll-call vote despite receiving unanimous support.

He noted that Trump is the first president in a second term without a single nominee confirmed via audio voting or unanimous consent, a scenario not witnessed since Herbert Hoover’s presidency many years ago.

Thune emphasized that historically, Congress has allowed a more expeditious process for bipartisan candidates to reach the floor for consideration.

One notable Trump nominee, Dalemark, was confirmed as Secretary of Defense, receiving 72 votes—including 18 from Democrats—yet the confirmation was complex, needing repeated votes due to the Democrat senator’s request for further verification on other candidates who had garnered similar support in the past.

Thune’s determination to establish Trump’s administration is evident, as majority leaders navigate crucial tax bills and other Republican-supported legislation through the Senate.

Recently, the Senate has voted on various civilian candidates, and key committee texts concerning Trump’s major legislative initiatives have also been highlighted. Thune criticized the Democrats for stalling confirmations and expressed the possibility of keeping the Senate in session over weekends if this pattern continues.

However, he acknowledged that priority must be given to passing the significant tax legislation first.