It's about time!
On Thursday, Senate Republicans triggered the "nuclear option" that was holding back many of President Donald Trump's nominations. Now things can get moving.
Republicans triggered the "nuclear option" to change the rules of the Senate on a party-line basis Thursday, a move that will allow them to speed up confirmation of President Donald Trump's nominees for key executive branch positions.
The vote was 53-45 to establish a new rule that allows the Senate to confirm an unlimited number of nominees en bloc, rather than process each one individually.
The rule applies to executive branch nominees subject to two hours of Senate debate, including subcabinet picks and ambassadors. It will not affect judicial nominations. Republicans say they'll allow their own senators to object to individual nominees in any given block, but the rule will strip away the power of the minority party to do the same thing.
This is what we voted for: A GOP that will play hardball. And what's more, the caucus seems to be holding together pretty well, as we might assume from the 53-45 vote, although the roster has not been released as of this writing.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., initiated the process by bringing up a package of 48 Trump nominees, which under longstanding rules has been subject to the 60-vote threshold. The vote to advance them failed due to Democratic opposition. Then, Thune sought to reconsider and Republicans subsequently voted to overrule the chair, setting a precedent and establishing the new rule.
Thune had telegraphed the move for weeks, accusing Democrats of creating an "untenable situation" with historic obstruction of Trump's nominees. The vote was held up for hours Thursday as the two parties engaged in last-ditch negotiations to strike a deal to avoid a rules change.
But they failed. And Republicans chose to proceed.
Proceeding is the right thing to do. The Democrats have, for months, been trying everything possible to hamstring not only the Trump administration but their Republican counterparts in Congress. That's the way the game is often played, mind you. Politics is a dirty business, and has been even before Mark Antony had Cicero's head and hands nailed to the Roman Senate rostrum. But the Democrats have, historically, played dirtier, so it's nice to see the GOP growing a pair of... principles.
Read More: Breaking: Federal Judge Declares Appointment of Trump's Personal Lawyer As US Attorney Illegal
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was predictably whiny about the whole affair.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said his party was reacting appropriately to Trump’s “historically bad nominees,” a trend he predicted would worsen with the GOP’s rule change.
“This move by Republicans was not so much about ending obstruction, as they claim; rather, it was another act of genuflection to the executive branch ... to give Donald Trump more power and to rubber-stamp whomever he wants whenever he wants them, no questions asked,” he said.
Too bad, Senator. For too long, your side grabbed every advantage you could whenever you could. Shoe's on the other foot now. We voted for this. We voted for the hardball. And we are expecting our congressional majorities to get the job done while they can.
Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about corrupt politicians like, well, too many of the Democrats in Congress.
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