Trump urges Senate to delay recess until all 150+ nominees are confirmed
President Donald Trump has called on the U.S. Senate to remain in session until it confirms more than 150 judicial and executive-branch nominees currently awaiting votes.
The Senate had been scheduled to begin its annual August recess this week. However, Republican leaders had already signaled that the break could be postponed to address the growing backlog of unconfirmed nominees. Many of the candidates have cleared committee but are stuck awaiting floor votes, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“The Senate must stay in Session, taking no recess, until the entire Executive Calendar is CLEAR!!!” President Trump posted late Thursday on social media.
The executive calendar includes over 150 pending nominations. Trump and Republican senators have accused Democrats of deliberately slowing the process, forcing procedural votes on nearly every nominee except for military promotions.
By comparison, President Joe Biden had 46 civilian nominees confirmed by voice vote by the same point in his first term. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush saw roughly 200 confirmed by late July in their first terms. Trump had five voice vote confirmations by this time in his first term. So far in his second term, zero civilian nominees have been confirmed by voice vote.
“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,” Trump wrote.
Republican leaders are attempting to negotiate a bipartisan agreement that would allow quicker approval of about two dozen nominees with cross-party support. On Thursday, the Senate confirmed five nominees using the standard process, but at that pace, they would need to forgo their entire August recess to clear the backlog.
Some Republican senators say they’re ready for that.
“I agree with President Trump,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY). “The Senate should stay as long as needed to get these qualified nominees confirmed. Let’s get it done!”
Senate Republicans are also exploring rule changes to accelerate the process—such as reducing debate time or grouping nominees for bloc votes. They may consider invoking the “nuclear option” to bypass the need for Democratic cooperation.
Another possibility would be allowing recess appointments, which would require both chambers to approve a concurrent resolution to adjourn for more than three days. However, the House has already left for its recess without passing such a measure, meaning it would need to return to session to pursue that path.
Trump, who has previously floated the idea of recess appointments, did not mention it in his latest remarks.
In a follow-up post, Trump criticized Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), saying:
“Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact opposite of Senator Susan Collins. Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong.”
Though Collins has supported many of Trump’s nominees, she voted against confirming Emil Bove to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week. Bove, a former Trump defense attorney, faced whistleblower allegations related to deportation policy and congressional testimony.
Collins also opposed Trump’s high-profile spending cut proposals, including his $9 billion rescissions package. She currently chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and is leading efforts to pass bipartisan spending bills, some of which exceed Trump’s proposed budget levels.
Similar news
