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6d ago

Senate GOP Moves to Allow En Bloc Votes on Trump Nominees

Majority Leader John Thune says he will start the process this week to batch lower‑level confirmations, signaling he could use the nuclear option if Democrats continue to block routine approvals.

FILE - Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., joined at left by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the GOP whip, speaks to reporters following closed-door strategy meetings, at the Capitol in Washington, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One upon returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on September 7, 2025. Trump is returning from New York where he attended the US open men's final. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 1: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (C), accompanied by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) (L) and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) (R), speaks to reporters off the Senate floor after the Senate passes President Donald Trump's so-called "One, Big, Beautiful Bill," Act at the U.S. Capitol Building on July 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance was the tie-breaking vote as President Donald Trump's so-called "One, Big, Beautiful Bill," Act passes in the Senate. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Republicans are coalescing around a rules change to let the Senate confirm groups of sub‑Cabinet executive nominees in a single vote to clear a mounting backlog.
  • Thune formed a working group in August, including Sens. Katie Britt, James Lankford, Ron Johnson, Eric Schmitt and Ted Budd, to craft the plan after talks with Democrats collapsed.
  • The proposal revives a 2023 idea from Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Angus King but in a broader GOP version that could remove caps on group size and exclude judges and Cabinet picks.
  • Fox News reports 149 Trump nominees are currently on the Senate calendar, with Republicans targeting action before a September recess to speed confirmations.
  • Democratic leaders have blocked unanimous‑consent and voice‑vote shortcuts this year, though some Democrats such as Sen. John Fetterman have questioned the blanket opposition.