Senate Majority Leader John Thune may invoke the ‘nuclear option’ to break Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer’s block on President Trump’s judicial nominees.
As previously reported, after blocking President Trump’s recess appointments, Senate Majority Leader John Thune last Tuesday said the Senate may change the rules to confirm the backlog of President Trump’s judicial nominees.
In July President Trump called on Thune to cancel August recess to get his judicial nominees confirmed.
“Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed. We need them badly!!! DJT” Trump said in July.
Thune did not cancel the August recess.
Last month Thune unveiled a procedural scheme to block President Trump from making any critical appointments during the August recess, effectively aiding the Democrats’ obstructionist agenda.
Thune quietly secured unanimous‑consent for a paper‑thin Senate schedule through the Trump appointee confirmation deadline, ensuring only pro forma sessions on five key dates in early August.
After pulling off this stunt, Thune is back from recess and now says he is ready to confirm the backlog of Trump’s nominees.
“If Democrats continue to drag out the confirmation of every single one of the nominations of a duly elected president, then we are going to have to take steps to get this process back on a reasonable footing,” Thune said from the Senate floor last Tuesday.
After refusing to work through the August recess, Thune may invoke the ‘nuclear option.’
The Daily Caller reported:
Senate Republicans are on the verge of breaking Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s stranglehold over the confirmation process, ending seven months of unprecedented obstruction that has sought to prevent President Donald Trump from staffing his administration.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is expected to invoke the rarely-used “nuclear option” to reform Senate rules allowing for the simultaneous confirmation of lower-level executive branch nominees as early as Monday, a senior Republican aide told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The historic rules change could grant the more than 100 civilian nominees who have been blocked from their postings due to Democrats’ persistent delay tactics a swift confirmation vote before the Senate is scheduled to go on recess on Sept. 19.
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