The Republicans in Congress are done with the games. The Democrats need to play ball or face consequences.
That’s why the U.S. Senate Majority leader dropped a two word threatening bomb on Democrats.
Senate Republicans are sounding the alarm over Democrats’ tactics to obstruct the confirmation of over 140 of President Donald Trump’s appointees, warning that the delays could upend decades of Senate tradition. The ongoing gridlock, they argue, threatens to disrupt the timely placement of key government officials.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been pushing to confirm Trump’s nominees at a brisk pace, but Democrats’ blanket resistance has bogged down the process, consuming hours of Senate floor time. Republicans contend that Democrats’ insistence on forcing roll call votes for nearly every nominee marks a stark departure from established norms, predicting severe repercussions if the strategy persists.
“There’s a lot of noms on the list that are bipartisan,” Thune told reporters Tuesday, referring to nominees already cleared by committees but stuck awaiting Senate floor votes. “In the past, at least, as you all know, the precedent has been to allow some of those to move without having to go through the lengthy process that we’re having to go through.”
Thune warned that Democrats are treading on thin ice. “We’ll see at some point if the Democrats want to play ball or not, but they are playing a dangerous game and risking, I think, in the future, a precedent that could come back to haunt them,” he said. “We have a job to do here and it’s an important job to fill important positions in our government.”
Several GOP senators have expressed frustration, noting that Democrats’ current stalling tactics are unprecedented in their scope. Unlike the swift confirmation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio shortly after Trump’s January 20 inauguration, Democrats have demanded procedural votes to invoke cloture on nearly all other nominees, significantly slowing the process.
Democrats, however, dismiss accusations of obstruction. “We’re having votes. There is no obstruction here,” said Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. “They [Republicans] have to follow the rules.”
This approach stands in sharp contrast to the Senate’s handling of former President Joe Biden’s nominees, roughly 60% of whom were approved via unanimous consent during his term, according to congressional records. Trump, however, has not had a single nominee confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent at this stage, marking a historic first.
The delays have sparked irritation among GOP senators, some of whom supported noncontroversial Biden nominees only to see Democrats refuse similar courtesy for Trump’s picks. “We’ve also proved that we worked with them [Democrats],” said Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin. “We allowed 44 [nominees] to go through voice vote or unanimous consent with Biden.”
“They’ve allowed zero [for Trump’s nominees],” Mullin added, highlighting the disparity. The Democrats’ tactics have left many lower-level executive branch appointees, who would typically sail through confirmation, mired in delays.
For instance, Trump nominated Sam Brown, a former Nevada Senate candidate and combat-wounded Army veteran, to serve as under secretary of memorial affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The role, which oversees veterans’ cemeteries and burial ceremonies for approximately 100,000 veterans annually, is widely seen as nonpartisan.
Yet, six months after his nomination, Brown remains unconfirmed due to Democrats’ holds on all Veterans Affairs nominees. Thune initiated the cloture process for Brown’s nomination last week, but Democrats are still expected to force multiple votes before his confirmation is finalized. In contrast, Brown’s predecessor, a Biden appointee, was confirmed via unanimous consent in June 2021.
Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, sought unanimous consent in June to confirm Brown, only to face objections from Blumenthal over potential staffing cuts at the department. “Laying our veterans to rest with honor, serving their families with dignity is not a Republican or Democrat issue,” Moran said on the Senate floor. “I am discouraged that we cannot work in a bipartisan manner to confirm this qualified and capable leader for the National Cemetery Administration.”
Republicans are now warning of consequences if Democrats continue to stonewall. “What goes around, comes around,” Thune told reporters, pointing to Democrats’ tactics as driven by “Trump derangement syndrome.” He added, “But if they keep this up, this is not going to end well.”
Trump has urged the Senate to forgo its planned August recess to address the backlog, and GOP leaders have signaled they are open to all options to move the process forward. White House spokeswoman Liz Huston emphasized the urgency, stating, “Senate Democrats must stop obstructing the will of the American people, and the Senate must confirm President Trump’s nominees as quickly as possible.”
