January 1, GOP Senate Slow-Walks Trump Nominees

Wyatt’s Take

• Senator Thune blames Democrats for stalled Trump nominations, but holds the power himself.
• Rachel Bovard exposes how Senate GOP isn’t using their authority to move confirmations forward.
• Many Trump nominees remain in limbo because of a lack of urgency from Republican leadership.

Senator John Thune stands before voters saying Democrats are the reason Trump’s appointees are stuck in the Senate. But facts show he’s got options he’s not taking. The Senate’s own rules mean the majority leader can keep the chamber in session, push vote after vote, and work through the backlog of over 140 nominees.

Rachel Bovard broke down how the process works. She said,

“Most of the nominees confirmed in the Senate are now what we call two-hour nominees. So you invoke cloture at 51 votes, you only have to run two hours of debate, and then you can confirm them two hours later.”

Even with the ability to run these quick votes, Senate Republicans are letting many positions go unfilled. Bovard explained,

“[Senate Republicans] have left approximately 140 civilian nominations lingering on the Senate’s executive calendar … a lot of [whom are] tasked with actually getting the president’s agenda done.”

She pointed out that senators avoid the floor and stretch out work, rarely putting in full days, and that August recess is kept only because they don’t want to put in five days a week to move these nominations.

The buck stops with Thune. Bovard made it clear,

“All that has to happen here is the majority leader, John Thune, has to go to the floor and file cloture on these nominations. He can do one at a time or he can file on 10 of them at a time… Democrats can’t object to that process. Democrats have no role in that process. Then the votes are on the floor.”

The problem isn’t with the rules. It’s with leaders not using them. Thune’s used the power for a few nominees but never made a push for a large-scale effort. If he did, both parties would feel the pressure and maybe cut a deal to clear the backlog. As Bovard put it,

“Thune has the upper hand here. … If he and his conference are actually willing to force them to vote … you could easily get it done in a month.”

Want Trump’s nominees confirmed?

Senate maven @RachelBovard demystifies the process & explains how we can get it done—without even changing the rules

But we have to … actually do it

If you agree, please share this message & tell your senators to #ClearTheConfirmationBacklog pic.twitter.com/BNIY5Lrsnt

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 26, 2025

Want more conservatives confirmed to get the country back on track? Tell your senators it’s time to show up and do the work—they have the tools, they just need the will.

Wyatt Matters

This boils down to putting in an honest day’s work and standing up for the people’s voice. Middle Americans know that results come from effort, not excuses, and expect their leaders to pull their weight for the country.

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