President Donald Trump on Thursday called on Senate Republicans to stay in session instead of taking a monthlong recess in order to confirm his nominees who require confirmation from the upper chamber.
“The Senate must stay in Session, taking no recess, until the entire Executive Calendar is CLEAR!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We have to save our Country from the Lunatic Left. Republicans, for the health and safety of the USA, DO YOUR JOB, and confirm All Nominees. They should NOT BE FORCED TO WAIT.”
Recommended Stories
- Senate Republicans eye bipartisan deal to speed up Trump nominee votes
- Senate Democrats make late push to drive GOP’s Epstein files headache
- Royalty Transparency Act approved by Senate committee
Of the estimated 1,300 nominees requiring Senate confirmation, more than 160 nominees are ready for a vote.
The massive backlog of nominees comes just ahead of the Senate’s summer recess, which is expected to last from Aug. 4 to Sept. 1. If Senate Republicans obliged Trump’s request, they would forgo their time off.
Trump has repeatedly pushed Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to cancel recess to get his second-term nominees confirmed quickly. Thune has said he is open to the idea.
The GOP leader is presently working on a plan to change the Senate rules to expedite the confirmation of hundreds of nominees, but such a plan would require bipartisan support. Republicans would need 67 votes, meaning at least 14 Democrats would have to support the rule change if all Republicans voted in favor.
Recess appointments, in which Trump would fill open positions with temporary appointments while the Senate is not in session, are also “on the table,” Thune said.
“Fixing the rules, not just for now, but for the long term would be a better solution for it,” he added. “But at this point right now, I wouldn’t say we’re taking any options off the table.”
SENATE REPUBLICANS EYE BIPARTISAN DEAL TO SPEED UP TRUMP NOMINEE VOTES
The Senate has confirmed only 118 nominees as of Thursday, according to Thune’s website. The slow confirmation process has prompted some Republican senators, like Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), to call for the cancellation of recess.
“Senate Republicans can stop Democrat obstruction of President Trump’s nominees by simply working through recess until they’ve had enough,” Lee posted on X. “If Democrats win, it’s because we let them.”