In a dramatic shift, Senate Republicans have reshaped the confirmation process for President Donald Trump’s stalled nominees.
The Hill reported that on Thursday, Senate Republicans employed the so-called "nuclear option" to revise chamber rules with a 53-43 party-line vote, enabling the swift confirmation of numerous sub-Cabinet nominees in groups through a single vote, despite Democratic resistance and failed bipartisan talks.
Efforts to reach a cross-party agreement intensified the day before the vote but ultimately fell short of gaining sufficient support from Democrats. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota expressed frustration over the delays that prompted this decisive action.
Under the revised rules, nominees can now be confirmed collectively, a process known as "en bloc," without any cap on the number included in a single ballot. This marks a significant departure from a 2023 proposal by Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Angus King of Maine, which limited such grouped considerations to just 10 individuals.
The initial bipartisan suggestion discussed would have expanded that limit to 15, but Republicans ultimately pushed for an unrestricted approach. Nearly 150 nominees currently await confirmation, highlighting the urgency felt by the GOP to clear this backlog.
The first batch of confirmations under the new system, expected next week, will include 48 individuals, many of whom hold positions such as under or assistant secretaries across various federal departments. This group also features notable ambassadorial candidates like Kimberly Guilfoyle for Greece and Callista Gingrich for Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
All nominees in this upcoming vote received bipartisan backing during committee reviews, a point Republicans emphasize as evidence of prior missed opportunities for agreement. They argue these individuals could have been approved before the August recess had a deal been reached.
Democrats, however, have criticized the GOP for abandoning negotiations too soon. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii lamented the lost chance for compromise, suggesting a resolution was within reach.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, in response to the ongoing delays, shared his exasperation with the slow pace of approvals.
This … has to be fixed. We offered you a proposal that had your fingerprints on it. It wasn’t even your fingerprints, you initiated it. It’s time to move. It’s time to quit stalling. … It’s time to fix this place.
— Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)
The rule change does not extend to judicial, Cabinet, or Supreme Court nominees, who still face extended debate times of two to 30 hours on the Senate floor. Future batches of nominees, including those for U.S. attorney roles, will also benefit from this streamlined voting process, even if they lack bipartisan support.
Historically, nomination approvals were often handled through unanimous consent or voice votes, with rates as high as 90 percent under former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, dropping to over 50 percent during Trump’s first term and President Joe Biden’s administration. Democrats have since refused to approve any of Trump’s picks through these quicker methods, fueling Republican resolve to alter the rules.
Reflecting on past changes, this move continues a trend of adjusting Senate protocols over the last 15 years, following actions by former leaders like Harry Reid in 2012 and Mitch McConnell in 2017 to modify thresholds and debate times. Thursday’s vote, needing just four additional supporters to pass, underscores a growing partisan divide, yet Republicans remain focused on accelerating confirmations as they head into the next session.
