Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said Senate Republicans are prepared to have the Senate in session “at night, on weekends, and in recess” to approve President Trump's nominee.
On the Senate floor Tuesday, Thune criticized Senate Democrats for holding up John Ratcliffe's nomination to be the next CIA director.
For example, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) spent much of his speaking time this week fixating on the Jan. 6 protests after President Trump pardoned many of them. I spent a lot of time there.
In early January, a public opinion poll Found Only 5 percent of registered voters in the United States believe the January 6 protests were the best memory of President Trump's first term.
Thune said he was tired of gridlock tactics and was prepared to keep the Senate in session virtually indefinitely to confirm Trump's nominees.
“As I have said repeatedly, Senate Republicans are prepared to work as hard as it takes to confirm President Trump's nominee. Nights. Weekends. Recess,” he wrote on Monday's X.
Thune noted that Ratcliffe has overwhelming bipartisan support outside of the committee, proving there is little need to delay confirmation. He said:
The committee vote was 14-3, and we wasted an entire day that could have acted on that nomination. So I think the question really in the House is, do we want to vote for these people on Tuesday? Or is it Friday, Saturday, Sunday? This can be easy or difficult.
This is the candidate who came out on a 14-3 vote on the Intelligence Committee and is a bipartisan candidate for the Central Intelligence Agency. This is a matter of American national security interest, and we are at an impasse. So, so that that doesn't happen, we're going to submit a clause to him, you can force us to stay here, and we'll be on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. You can vote on these things.
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) refuted Democrats' argument for holding up Ratcliffe's nomination:
According to a recent Fox News poll, 78% of Americans say Democrats should work with President Trump.
The American people elected President Trump to change Washington. They voted with common sense. President Trump is a common sense president.
President Trump proposed a popular, optimistic, and unifying agenda. He has chosen a strong team to work with.
President Trump has not assembled a cabinet in the usual way. His candidates are motivated. they are qualified. They are committed to the safety and prosperity of Americans.
He will aggressively tackle challenges such as high prices, open borders, crime, America's last energy policy, and burdensome regulation.
Hours after President Trump was sworn in, senators unanimously voted to confirm Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.
“Democrats know that President Trump's nominee is qualified for the job,” Barrasso said. “The Senate should give its advice and consent. Frustrated Democrats should not use it as an excuse to delay or deny the Senate's constitutional authority. Americans want results, not resistance. ”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter at Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
