Posted on 04/03/2019 1:15:59 PM PDT by jazusamo
Senate Republicans deployed the “nuclear option” on Wednesday to drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to confirm hundreds of President Trump’s nominees.
Senators voted 51-48 to change the rules for the amount of time it takes to confirm most executive nominations with only a simple majority of the chamber. GOP Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Susan Collins (Maine) joined with Democrats in opposing the rules change.
Republicans are expected to trigger the “nuclear option” for a second time later Wednesday to force through the same change for district court nominations.
The combined actions will result in most nominations that require Senate confirmation needing only two hours of debate after they’ve defeated a filibuster that shows they have the votes to ultimately be confirmed. Before Wednesday’s rules change they faced up to an additional 30 hours of debate.
Supreme Court picks, appeals court judges and Cabinet nominees will not be affected by the rules change and will still face the lengthier Senate floor debate.
But the move will let Republicans hit the gas on confirming nominations, a top priority in an era of divided government that has left lawmakers without big-ticket legislative agenda items.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) argued shortly before triggering the hardball procedural tactic that the Senate needed to go back to a “more normal and reasonable process” for confirming nominations.
“Our colleagues across the aisle have chosen to endlessly relitigate the 2016 election rather than actually participate in governing,” McConnell added. “This problem goes deeper than today. We’re talking about the future of this very institution and the future functioning of our constitutional government.
Republicans have set a record for the number of appeals judges confirmed during an administration’s first two years, but they’ve accused Democrats of using the chamber’s legislative rulebook to slow down lower-level executive and judicial nominations.
Of 715 “key positions” tracked by The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service, 435 have been confirmed by the Senate. An additional 131 are awaiting confirmation, 12 need to be formally nominated and 140 positions still need nominations.
And, according to the same tracker, some departments still have substantial vacancies in their Senate-confirmed positions.
The Interior Department, for example, has 41 percent of its Senate-confirmed employees in place, the Justice Department has 48 percent and the Department of Labor has 50 percent.
It’s the second time Republicans have gone “nuclear” to make it easier to confirm Trump’s nominees in as many years. In 2017, Republicans nixed the 60-vote filibuster on Supreme Court nominees, mirroring the action Democrats took in 2013 on lower-court and executive nominees.
Republicans made a last-ditch effort on Tuesday to pass the rules change as a standing order, which would have required 60 votes. But Democrats and Lee voted against the resolution, preventing it from getting the necessary support to pass.
The resolution was widely expected to fail the earlier test vote but was aimed at assuaging concerns from within the GOP caucus about moving forward with the nuclear option without at least trying to pass it with Democrats. The caucus held a meeting on Tuesday evening to walk through the plan for Wednesday.
“I think we had to convince 51, at least 51, of our members that we’re doing everything possible to try to do this through regular order,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) about the point of Tuesday’s vote.
Republicans say they reached out to try to negotiate an agreement with Democrats to try to reach a deal to avoid Wednesday’s floor drama but found little interest. Sources familiar with the negotiations told The Hill last week that Democrats have tried to negotiate a deal with McConnell, with suggested changes such as postponing the rules change until 2021, applying it only to executive nominees or restoring the “blue slip” for circuit court picks but were unable to reach an agreement.
Democrats are bristling over Republicans decision to invoke the “nuclear option,” arguing that they can’t simultaneously complain about the pace of nominations while setting a record for some court nominees.
A similar resolution passed the Senate in 2013 that cut debate time for most executive nominations to eight hours and district judges to two hours. But that resolution, which passed with bipartisan support, only controlled the 113th Congress.
Democrats argue that the dynamic around nominations has changed dramatically since then. Democrats nixed the 60-vote filibuster in 2013 for most nominations and Republicans followed suite in 2017 on Supreme Court nominations.
Republicans have also moved circuit nominations over the objections of home-state senators.
“The way my colleagues on the other side talk about the issue, you’d think Democrats delayed every nominee for as long as possible. That just doesn’t remotely resemble the truth,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Exactly.
Lee has gone RINO.
Yesyesyesyesyes!!!!!
Two years late, jeesh! You know Chucky S. wouldn’t have waited a day.
Lee and Collins in opposition, yet again? Time to boot them out of the GOP. They are RINO’s at best...
In the future when the senate shifts control to democrats—the republicans will be under the same regime that they created. they will not be able to slow walk democrat nominations for the lower courts or the executive
Piff, piff and again I say, PIFF!!!
Are you (or Mike Lee) seriously suggesting NOT passing this rules change would inhibit the RATs in any degree or manner, at any time or place?
Worth repeating! Nor do I.
Sweet!
Now RAM ‘em all down the donkey’s throats in short order.
Lee & Collins now in the top-ten of the GOPe guillotine list...
Has anybody cataloged all the “nuclear options” that have been triggered over the years?
The funny thing is the sun still rises in the east, people still go to work and church, and the Republic is still standing (so far, at least).
Hmmm, the next election cycle must be ramping-up...
No "Pass" involved... It is only a Senate Rules change and is a "Done Deal". As others commented..., better late than never. "Comity" in the Senate died years ago..., only the Pubs refused to acknowledge that fact!
It’s a good start, now remove all but 1 or 2 demonrats from every committee, Tip O’neill would approve!
That’s a pleasant thought, they’d go into orbit. :^)
Yes. It’s called Harry Reid blowback. It will come just like it did to the Dems.
but better never late.
it just did.
This is Senate only.
Moreover, it’s faster than it appears (2 hrs) in that GOP will not even use its 1 hr of debate.
Say whatever else you will, this is Cocaine Mitch’s strong suit.
What the hell is wrong with Mike Effing Lee? Does he identify as a eunuch?
Shhhhhhh....everyone be very quiet. Make no movement that could signal we are here..if you draw the attention of the Bobtailed Republican, do NOT make eye contact, as this could spook the herd and cause a potential stampede..... No pictures, please. There will be plenty of to.e to capture their habitat once it can be proven they are no longer on the Endangered Species List. Shhhhhh...
I’m glad Trump didn’t nominate Mike Lee for USSC. What is in the water in Utah?
I agree, he’s been good on judges.
Lee is really lame on some things, I pray he doesn’t turn into another Flake.
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