As I reported earlier this week, Senate Democrats have been obstructing Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-SD) efforts to confirm President Donald Trump’s civilian nominees. During a Monday radio interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, Thune described the situation as “unprecedented.”
He told Kilmeade:
This is the first president in history who has never had, at this point in his presidency, a civilian nominee approved either by unanimous consent or voice vote in the Senate, which is a way of expediting nominees that you know are broadly supported. So, they [Democrats] are delaying, obstructing, blocking, at every point in the process. So I totally appreciate the President’s frustration with what’s happening on the nominee front.
Now, on the eve of an extended recess, tensions are reaching a fever pitch. Thune would like to get dozens of nominees confirmed by the end of the day. If this doesn’t happen, he warned they are moving toward recess appointments or a rules change, according to Politico.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) took to the floor on Saturday to defend the Democrats’ obstruction. He said that “historically bad nominees deserve historic levels of scrutiny.”
He continued, “I saw the Majority Leader bring out a chart again today, comparing the situation right now to past nominees from past administrations. What he fails to mention is that we have never seen nominees as flawed, as compromised, as unqualified as we have right now.”
Politico reported that staff for Thune and Schumer have been in contact this week. According to a source who spoke to Politico on the condition of anonymity, Schumer made an offer to Thune on Friday night—one that, to me, sounds a lot like extortion.
That offer would trade a small tranche of nominations now for the administration unfreezing certain funding. Democrats are then offering to do another tranche later this year, but the deal would be off if the administration transmits another request to the Senate to claw back more spending. That understanding would need to be formally locked in on the Senate floor, which would also require it to be blessed by all senators.GOP senators have warned that they can’t commit to not doing additional rescission packages, which only require a simple majority to get through both the House and Senate. And they said on Saturday that they would want a deal to do another tranche of nominees as soon as the Senate returns in September.Schumer and Thune also exchanged another round of counteroffers late Saturday afternoon.
Trump was outraged by Schumer’s proposal and took to Truth Social to let his feelings be known:
Senator Cryin’ Chuck Schumer is demanding over One Billion Dollars in order to approve a small number of our highly qualified nominees, who should right now be helping to run our Country. This demand is egregious and unprecedented, and would be embarrassing to the Republican Party if it were accepted. It is political extortion, by any other name. Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL! Do not accept the offer, go home and explain to your constituents what bad people the Democrats are, and what a great job the Republicans are doing, and have done, for our Country. Have a great RECESS and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!
Given Trump’s strong opposition to the offer, it’s unlikely that Republican senators will agree to it. I certainly hope they won’t—and somehow, I don’t think I’m alone.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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