Senate GOP Considering Rule Change To Speed Up Trump Nominees
Senate Republicans are preparing to overhaul the chamber’s confirmation process after weeks of Democrat obstruction have left President Donald J. Trump’s judicial and executive nominees stuck in limbo.
At the center of the fight is the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition — a courtesy that lets home-state senators effectively veto judicial picks. Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has been reluctant to abandon the practice, drawing criticism from Trump, who has demanded an end to what he calls an outdated stall tactic.
With more than 150 nominations still pending, Republicans are now considering rules changes that would speed confirmations. Proposals include allowing up to 10 nominees to be approved in a single vote, slashing debate time, limiting procedural hurdles, and even making some nominations nondebatable. Because such rules changes require only a simple majority, the GOP could move without Democratic support — an option that insiders acknowledge would amount to a “nuclear” escalation.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), who is leading a working group on the issue, said Republicans are determined to restore order: “Everybody has been talking through various options. One of the things that that process does is empower the committee process.”
The effort comes after Democrats ground Senate business to a halt in July, forcing roll call votes on even the most routine confirmations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) kept the chamber in session over a scheduled recess weekend in a bid to move Trump’s nominees forward.
In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump rejected demands from Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who reportedly wanted up to $1 billion in federal funds and a promise from the White House to drop spending-cut legislation in exchange for moving nominees.
“Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL!” Trump wrote. “Do not accept the offer, go home and explain to your constituents what bad people the Democrats are, and what a great job the Republicans are doing, and have done, for our Country. Have a great RECESS.”
Republicans did manage to push through the confirmation of one of Trump’s highest-profile nominees, Jeanine Pirro, the former New York judge and Fox News host, to serve as Washington D.C.’s top federal prosecutor. But the broader package collapsed when Schumer walked away from negotiations.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) blasted Democrats for unprecedented obstruction.
“President Trump is the only president in modern history not to have a single nominee confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent,” Barrasso said. “Not a single one. Even the most routine nominees are being filibustered.”
With Democrats openly stalling and Trump demanding results, Republicans face a choice: either allow the backlog to fester or rewrite the rules to break the blockade.