Senate brinkmanship is leaving a planned August recess up in the air as Republicans threaten to keep Democrats in Washington to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominees.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who met with Trump on Monday, has left the door open to canceling part or all of the August break as Democrats throw up procedural hurdles that eat up hours of floor time. Speaking with reporters this week, he said that Trump is the first president in history to have no nominees approved by unanimous consent or voice vote at this stage in his presidency.
“Trying to get his team in place is something that we’re very committed to, and we’re going to be looking at all the options in the next few weeks to try and get as many of those across the finish line as we can,” Thune said.
More than 130 Trump nominees, including a wave of picks from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the first round of judicial nominees, are awaiting floor action. Ordinarily, noncontroversial nominees with bipartisan support will be expedited without opposition from the minority party. However, Democrats have placed blanket holds on different categories of nominations in protest of the Trump administration’s policies.
“The Democrats are making us go the distance, time-wise, on every single nomination. That’s unprecedented. And so we have to push back, and either we’re going to be here or they’re going to come to some agreement,” Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) said.
Thune has proceeded to work through the nominees, one by one, now that Republicans are done passing Trump’s signature tax law, and the month of August would unlock additional floor time that is typically unavailable.
The last time the August recess was scrapped was in 2018, when then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) canceled it to compensate for delays in the appropriations process. A year earlier, in 2017, McConnell took a similar step, though he only shortened the break by half.
TRUMP PUSHES THUNE TO CANCEL AUGUST RECESS TO GET REMAINING NOMINEES CONFIRMED
Yet just the prospect of canceling the August recess also serves as leverage, with Republicans holding out for a deal that fast-tracks a batch of nominees available for a vote.
“We want to get these folks confirmed. And if the Democrats continue to want to drag their feet and slow down the process, then they may need to be here in August,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the Senate majority whip.
Democrats argue they’re simply adhering to Senate rules on nominations and say it’s up to Republicans, and the president, to decide how many nominees are put forward.
“The rules lay out the timing on the nominations. The majority decides how many nominations they’re doing,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said.
However, some senators predict a compromise could be on the horizon as members of both parties get anxious about heading back to their home states.
“We may get lucky and get them all confirmed by the weekend. I don’t know yet. It’s too early to tell, too early to call,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA).
While some Republicans are willing to cancel part or all of the August recess, many consider the month vital for promoting the “big, beautiful bill,” which they see as key to their election strategy. The renewed push to remain in session follows a weekend post from Trump on Truth Social urging Thune to keep the Senate in town to advance stalled nominations.
“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. “We need them badly!!!”
The conservative group Club for Growth also released a digital ad titled Children, urging Thune to cancel the recess. The ad features a narrator accusing Senate Democrats of behaving “like spoiled children” by blocking votes on Trump’s nominees, storming out of hearings, and delaying Senate business. The narrator then urges Senate Republicans to “stop playing nice.”
Other GOP senators voiced frustration over the prospect of cutting into their recess. The Senate has faced a heavy workload this year, including late-night votes, rare Friday workdays, four overnight vote-a-ramas, and the confirmation of 94 administration officials.
“You get us for the rest of the year back here, but there’s got to be some time when we can actually be addressing the needs of our constituents back home,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
TRUMP PUSHES THUNE TO CANCEL AUGUST RECESS TO GET REMAINING NOMINEES CONFIRMED
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), who is up for reelection next year, said many Republicans see August as an opportunity to return home and reconnect with local groups they’ve had little time for amid a packed legislative schedule.
“A lot of us were kind of planning on the August time to really get back in and reestablish with some of those organizations we haven’t had a chance to talk to this year,” he explained.