The U.S. Senate is facing a significant challenge as the Democratic Party has delayed the confirmation of President Trump’s nominees. In response, the Senate Republicans have threatened to cancel the August recess to continue the confirmation process without taking a break. This move comes as the Senate has been struggling with the Democratic Party’s tactics to delay the process.
The Senate has a history of quickly confirming nominees, often using fast-track procedures such as ‘en bloc’ confirmations or ‘voice votes,’ which involve a quick consensus from all 100 senators. However, the Democratic Party has been using tactics to delay these confirmations, such as deploying ‘clock-draining’ strategies to block the Senate from confirming the president’s picks.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has criticized the Democratic Party for their obstruction tactics, calling them an unprecedented level of interference. Thune has emphasized that the Senate should continue to move through the confirmation process without taking a break. He has also noted that the Senate has never failed to confirm any of an executive’s nominees on a fast track. This includes ‘en bloc’ confirmations, where the Senate quickly green-lights a swath of nominees all at once.
The Senate Republicans have discussed parliamentary options to make long-term changes to rules and precedents to speedily confirm nominees. They have also considered ‘recess appointments’ as a potential solution to install some of Trump’s picks without Senate confirmation. However, they have not yet reached a consensus on which method to pursue.
The potential use of recess appointments has raised concerns, as the Supreme Court has ruled that such appointments are only valid if both houses of Congress have been adjourned for more than 10 days. While there are provisions in the Constitution that allow for the president to adjourn both houses on his own, such a move would require a significant shift in the balance of power within the Senate.