Top News

Washington DC - Senate Republicans, headed by Majority Leader John Thune, are threatening to "go nuclear" and change the rules to push through President Donald Trump's nominations.

Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader John Thune (c.), are threatening to "go nuclear" to get President Donald Trump's nominations through. © AFP/Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

In a bid to break the Democrats' continued filibustering in the Senate, Thune moved Monday to introduce a resolution to group 48 of Trump's nominations together to be voted on in one block.

Thune will pass a series of votes over the coming weeks using the Republicans' simple majority of 53 seats. The tactic is known colloquially as "going nuclear."

If successful, the resolution would create new Senate precedents which would make it easier for Republicans to push nominees past Democratic opposition.

Such a precedent would damage Democrats' ability to object to Trump's nominees because, in the past, a nomination needed more than a simple majority to be confirmed.

"Both President Trump in his first term and President Biden had more than half of their nominees confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote," Thune said in remarks delivered to the Senate floor.

"Fast forward to today," Thune went on, "And [Trump] has not had one single civilian nominee confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote. Not one."

"Democrats have dragged out the process of every single nominee – even on nominees they ended up voting for by large margins."

In response to Thune's threat, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declared on the Senate floor that "Trump has made a mockery of the nominations process."

"I say to my Republican colleagues, think carefully before taking this step, if you go nuclear it's going to be a decision you will come to regret," Schumer said.

---