Thune Warns Dems Are Setting ‘Dangerous And Ugly Precedent’ With Trump’s Nominees

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) fired a warning shot at Democrats amid calls for the upper chamber to cancel its August recess and confirm more of President Donald Trump’s nominees.

In remarks on the Senate floor, Thune explained how the Senate has confirmed 107 civilian nominees over the past six months — nearly doubling the pace seen during Trump’s first term. This is happening in spite of Democrats impeding the process by forcing procedural votes in which many of them end up supporting the nominees in significant numbers, he added.

Thune described what he called a “historic level of obstruction” being waged by the minority party, noting how Trump is the only president on record not to have a single civilian nominee confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent at this point in his term. By comparison, the leader pointed out, former President Joe Biden had 44 civilian nominees confirmed by voice vote at this point in his first and only term.

“Democrats haven’t offered a shred of courtesy to President Trump, to the voters who elected him, or the people who have stepped up to serve our country in his administration,” Thune said. Yet ultimately, “the ball is in [the] Democrats’ court,” he asserted.

“They can continue to drag out the process on even the most uncontroversial nominees, and we can spend a lot more hours with each other in the Senate chamber,” Thune said. “Or they can rein in their reflexive anti-Trump sentiment and allow some of his rank-and-file nominees to proceed by unanimous consent or voice vote — just as Republicans did when the roles were reversed. And I’d remind my colleagues about the dangerous and ugly precedent that they’re setting here. But the choice is theirs … whether it’s the slow way or the fast way, we’re getting President Trump’s nominees confirmed.

Earlier this month, after Congress passed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” and a $9 billion rescissions package, Trump urged Thune to keep the Senate busy cementing his second-term priorities.

“Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed,” Trump said on Truth Social. “We need them badly!!! DJT.”