The United States Senate has a lot of work to do, and President Trump is now pressuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune to keep the Senate at work through what is traditionally a late-summer recess.
The president is citing urgent executive and judicial appointments as the primary reason for keeping the upper chamber at work.
Senators hoping for an August respite after several weeks of late-night votes may not be in luck, with President Trump asking Majority Leader Sen. John Thune(R-S.D.) Saturday to cancel the chamber’s traditional late-summer recess in order to confirm his executive and judicial appointments.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We need them badly!!!”
This could be a tactical move on Trump's part - and on the part of the Majority Leader, as well; the president has a number of nominees in consideration that, in a more relaxed, post-recess setting, may be more difficult to push through:
Senators are currently scheduled to confirm six Trump appointments on Monday and advance his pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Agency. Right now, members are set to take the month of August off.
The threat to cancel the recess could push senators to avoid stonewalling appointments. Trump’s most high-stakes nominees include Emil Bove, a lawyer for the Justice Department, to be a judge on a federal appeals court. Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host, is also up to be the top federal prosecutor in D.C.
And:
Trump’s more recent nominations include two picks for the National Labor Relations Board, which enforces union regulations. The board has not been able to function since January, when Trump fired the remaining Democratic member, leaving it without a quorum.
Of course, the president can only request; it's up to the Senate to determine their schedule.
Speaking with Fox Business's Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, Senator Thune noted that the Democrats have been throwing obstacles at all of the president's nominees, stating it's "obstruct, it's delay, it's block..."
The Senator said in part:
They (Democrats) are making it extremely difficult to get any of the president's nominees through the process here, it's obstruct, it's delay, it's block, that's been the pattern, and it's Trump Derangement Syndrome on full display here in the United States Senate.
Maybe a few extra weeks at work will cool them down some.
Read More: Trump Recognizes Six Months of Victories, Even Media Has to Admit How 'Consequential' It's Been
While Senator Thune has not, as of this writing, responded to the president's request, it is probably more likely than in most years. Since January, we've seen an unprecedented number of actions by the president, by Congress, and even by the Supreme Court. President Trump clearly intended to hit the ground running, and he's kept up this pace for six months now, and shows no sign of slowing down. What's more, he seems determined to prod Congress to keep up with him.
There's another reason to keep up the pace: The midterm elections. In sixteen months, more or less, we'll have a look at what the next Congress will look like, and whether it will be more or less friendly to President Trump's agenda. The bird of the present GOP-controlled Congress, in President Trump's hands, may be worth several more unknown Congresses still in the electoral bush.
Editor's Note: The Deep State is working overtime to subvert President Trump's agenda and the will of the people.
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