Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said July 21 he may cancel the Senate’s August recess to address a mounting backlog of President Donald Trump’s nominees, noting that Democrats have so far refused to confirm any through the Senate’s usual procedures.
“We’re thinking about it,” Thune told reporters at the Capitol, according to The Hill.
He said it would be “nice” if Democrats adhered to historical precedent, which typically allows some nominees to advance by unanimous consent or voice vote. Thune noted that Trump is the first president in history to reach this point in his term without a single nominee confirmed by either method.
“Trying to get his team in place is something that we’re very committed to,” he said, “and we’re going to be looking at all the options in the next few weeks to try and get as many of those across the finish line as we can.”
Thune’s comments come after Trump urged him to cancel the recess in a July 19 Truth Social post.
“Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed,” Trump wrote. “We need them badly!!!”
More than 130 of Trump’s nominees are currently awaiting floor action, according to The Washington Examiner.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, echoed calls to cancel the recess, accusing Democrats in a July 23 video of orchestrating a “campaign of delay and obstruction” to stall Trump’s nominees. He warned that delays would leave unelected bureaucrats in control of federal agencies.
“We’re going to have the deep state basically running our federal agencies and departments,” Lee said.
He said the Senate’s current backlog of 135 nominees would take until at least April 2026 to clear if confirmations continue at the current pace. Lee called on his colleagues to remain in session to finish the job or allow the president to make recess appointments.
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Author: Elise DeGeeter
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