Senate Republicans on Tuesday confirmed 107 of President Trump’s nominees to executive roles, taking advantage of their recent rules change to clear most of the backlog that built up amid Democrats’ universal filibuster of the president’s personnel.

The 107 nominees confirmed in the 50-47, party-line vote reduces the number of Trump picks who’ve been reported out of committee and are awaiting floor votes to 26.

Several of the remaining unconfirmed nominees are U.S. district and circuit court judge nominees that are not subject to the GOP rules changes allowing a simple-majority vote to clear a filibuster and confirm nominees as a group, instead of individually.

Implemented last month, the new rule allows for simple-majority en bloc votes only on sub-Cabinet executive nominees. Ones excluded from the package likely have opposition from at least one GOP senator.

Republicans said they changed the rules because Democrats have obstructed confirmations during this Congress at a level unprecedented for any modern presidency, including Mr. Trump’s first term.

Democrats have not allowed any of Mr. Trump’s civilian nominees, even those with bipartisan support, to be confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote, which is how the Senate would typically fast-track nominees for many lower-level positions.

The 108 nominees confirmed on Tuesday include 16 U.S. attorneys that Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, described as “an essential component of law enforcement — responsible for prosecuting violent criminals, protecting the public and enforcing the rule of law.”

Other confirmed nominees will take on key roles in the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, Labor, State, Treasury and Veterans Affairs.

The group also includes more than two dozen ambassadors to diplomatic posts around the world, including India, Poland and Denmark. Former professional football player Herschel Walker, a Georgia Republican who lost his bid for the Senate in 2022, was confirmed as ambassador to the Bahamas.

This is the second group of nominees Republicans have confirmed since the rules change. The first was a smaller package of 48 nominees.

The group originally started with 108 nominees but the Senate pulled Navy undersecretary nominee Hung Cao out and confirmed him separately last week so Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski could vote no. 

• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.