Overview

• Senate Republicans have confirmed over 130 of President Trump’s nominees but still face a backlog of more than 140 picks due to Democratic filibusters.
• Last weekend’s collapse of bipartisan bundle negotiations prompted GOP leaders to consider invoking the nuclear option to bypass the 67-vote threshold for rule changes.
• Options under review include shortening debate time, grouping lower-level nominees en bloc and eliminating procedural votes to speed up confirmations.
• Congress is holding pro forma sessions every few days to block potential recess appointments and maintain the Senate’s advice-and-consent authority.
• A core group of Republicans, notably Sens. Tillis, Murkowski and Collins, remain wary of weakening individual holds on nominees, posing a hurdle for Majority Leader Thune.