John Thune touts pace of Trump nominee confirmations despite Democrat obstruction

Though President Donald Trump was able to secure confirmation of some of his most controversial nominees fairly early on in his current term, that is not to say that significant moves from Democrats have not hindered the process for a host of other presidential picks.

As the Daily Caller explained, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is doing his best to keep a swift pace when it comes to shepherding Trump’s selections through the confirmation process, lawmakers on the left are still doing their level best to throw sand in the gears.

Getting it done

Despite the obstacles placed in his way by Democrats, Thune has managed to secure confirmations at a faster pace than that achieved in the past two administrations.

Though he has been quick to assail the efforts from the other side of the aisle to stymie the president’s ability to staff his administration, Thune has pledged to keep pushing as hard as necessary to get the job done.

Speaking to the Democrats’ tactics, Thune stated, “They want to block everything, even nominees that have broad, bipartisan support.”

Considering the electoral mandate he believes Trump to have secured last November, Thune added, “I think that the American people are going to get tired of it.”

Undeterred, last week’s confirmation of Billy Long to lead the Internal Revenue Service represented the 80^th civilian nominaton to secure confirmation since Trump re-took the Oval Office, and an achievement that surpasses the rate seen during the Biden administration or during the first Trump term.

Backlog remains

Even amid Thune’s tireless efforts, a backlog of roughly 100 nominees still awaits Senate floor consideration, a frustrating scenario that is not lost on the majority leader.

The situation has developed in significant part due to blanket holds placed on nominations by Democrats hoping to stall Trump’s agenda.

As NBC News reports, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) has contributed mightily to Thune’s problem, placing such a hold on Trump’s State Department nominees.

This type of hold precludes speedy votes for nominees and requires Republicans to clear a host of procedural hurdles, wasting time that could be spent on other priorities.

Due to the current makeup of the Senate, with Republicans holding 53 seats, Democrats cannot preclude any Trump nominee from confirmation on their own, but they do have the power to delay and to draw energy and resources away from other GOP objectives.

Republican resolve endures

Though he has publicly slammed Democrats for their historic level of obstruction when it comes to Trump’s nominees, Thune has pledged his continued commitment to making the president’s personnel preferences a reality.

If Democrats persist in denying Republicans expedited confirmations – even for nominees that enjoy bipartisan support – Thune declared that he is still ready and willing to do things “the hard way” if need be.