Republicans took the first step on Monday toward changing the Senate’s rules to speed the confirmations of Trump administration nominees being slowed by Democratic opposition, touching off the latest in a yearslong tit for tat between the two parties that has weakened the filibuster.
The move is a response to Democrats’ refusal to allow President Trump’s nominees to be considered, which has slowed their confirmations and frustrated the president. But its consequences will reach beyond Mr. Trump’s tenure, effectively whittling down the ability of the minority to register any opposition to executive branch nominees below the cabinet level.
Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, made the first move on Monday by introducing a resolution that would group 48 of Mr. Trump’s nominees together to allow them to be considered and voted on as a group. That will queue up a complex series of floor votes this week and next that, if successful, would create new Senate precedents meant to help Republicans clear a growing backlog of nominees.
Republicans, who hold 53 seats, will try to muscle through the rules change using a simple majority, a tactic known as “going nuclear,” in part because of the charged partisan cloud it can leave over an institution that once prided itself on operating according to consensus.
It is the latest change to chip away at longstanding Senate precedent in the face of an increasingly polarized political environment.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Mr. Thune framed the rules change as a necessary response to what he framed as an unprecedented Democratic blockade against fast confirmation of any of Mr. Trump’s nominees, including lower-level picks that have traditionally been confirmed by voice votes or by unanimous consent.
Democrats, staunchly opposed to Mr. Trump’s efforts to reshape the executive branch and insisting more attention be paid to nominees they say are unqualified, have insisted on formal votes for each person, delaying approval of the president’s picks for dozens of jobs.
“Both President Trump in his first term and President Biden had more than half of their nominees confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote,” Mr. Thune said. “Fast forward to today: President Trump has been in office for eight months, and he has not had one single civilian nominee confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote.”
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, urged Republicans to negotiate with his side to end the impasse rather than change the chamber’s procedures entirely.
“Think carefully before taking this step,” he said on the Senate floor on Monday afternoon. “If you go nuclear, it will be a decision you’ll come to regret.”
Before senators left for their August recess, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Thune and White House officials were engaged in talks that would have allowed Republicans to confirm a slate of relatively noncontentious nominees in exchange for the release of funding being held up by the White House.
But the negotiations fell apart, leading Mr. Trump to post a social media missive telling Mr. Schumer to “GO TO HELL!” Mr. Thune sent lawmakers home without making significant progress.
The exact details of the changes that Republicans will propose remain unclear, but Mr. Thune said on the Senate floor that they were based in part on a previous proposal by Democrats in 2023 that would have allowed the Senate to vote on up to 10 nominees as a bloc. Currently, such votes require a 60-vote majority.
The rules change is expected to help clear the way only for lower-level executive branch nominations, according to two people familiar with internal Republican discussions. Mr. Thune said that the measure would not include judicial appointments or high-profile jobs such as cabinet secretaries. Those details may help him win support from Republicans who have been reluctant to upend Senate rules for partisan advantage.
Changes to the Senate’s precedents, which govern how the chamber works, are supposed to require the approval of 67 senators, a barrier meant to make them more difficult to adopt. In using what is known as the nuclear option, members of the majority party instead attempt to take an action that has never been allowed before and then hold a number of procedural votes to overrule any objection by the minority and proceed, thus setting a new precedent that replaces what has been done in the past.
Democrats used the tactic in 2013 to lower the vote threshold on most nominees to a simple majority rather than 60 votes, a response to Senate Republicans systematically blocking a series of Obama administration judicial appointees.
Republicans then retaliated in 2017 to lower the threshold for Supreme Court nominees, allowing Mr. Trump to install three justices during his first term.
Megan Mineiro contributed reporting.
Michael Gold covers Congress for The Times, with a focus on immigration policy and congressional oversight.
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