Thune Moves to Break Democrat Obstruction With ‘Nuclear Option’ to Advance Trump Nominees

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is preparing to employ the Senate’s so-called “nuclear option” in order to push through a wave of President Donald Trump’s nominees after months of Democrat obstruction.

The move comes as Democrats have used the filibuster and procedural tactics to stall dozens of lower-level confirmations, creating gridlock across the executive branch. Thune’s maneuver would lower the threshold for confirming grouped subcabinet and other non-cabinet officials from 60 votes to a simple majority. Cabinet secretaries and judicial appointments would remain unaffected.

On Tuesday night, Thune introduced a resolution designed to accelerate about 40 Trump administration nominees in one package vote. Current Senate rules require 60 votes to break a filibuster on that resolution. Democrats are expected to block it — but that is precisely the scenario Thune is counting on.

Once the cloture vote fails, Thune is expected to strategically switch his vote to the prevailing side, allowing him to request reconsideration under Senate rules. This would pave the way for him to raise a point of order declaring that only 51 votes should be needed for such resolutions.

At that point, the presiding officer — Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley (R-IA) or Vice President J.D. Vance — would likely rule against Thune, citing precedent. Thune would then appeal the decision, which can be overturned by a simple majority vote. If successful, the Senate would set a new precedent, effectively ending Democrat obstruction on similar batches of lower-level nominees.

A follow-up vote under the new rules could happen as soon as Sept. 15, clearing the way for final approval on Sept. 17.

Supporters argue the change is long overdue, pointing to the backlog of Trump’s qualified nominees being held hostage by partisan delay. Critics, mostly Democrats, claim it undermines the Senate’s tradition of extended debate — the very same Democrats who themselves invoked the nuclear option in 2013 to advance Barack Obama’s nominees.

Republicans later expanded that precedent in 2017 under then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to confirm President Trump’s Supreme Court nominees by simple majority, beginning with Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Thune’s plan would represent the next step in rolling back decades of procedural weaponization by Democrats, ensuring President Trump has the personnel needed to carry out his agenda in his second term.

The coming days will reveal whether Thune can secure the votes to break the logjam and deliver another victory for Trump’s America First administration.