Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Friday that he will keep the Senate in session through at least the weekend to advance the confirmation of several of President Donald Trump’s pending nominees.
The decision comes amid growing tensions over the confirmation process, as Senate Democrats continue to delay proceedings by insisting on time-consuming roll call votes for each nominee.
President Trump has repeatedly urged the Senate to forgo its traditional August recess, including a public reminder on Thursday that his nominees “should not be forced to wait” any longer for confirmation.
Thune said the Senate would use the weekend to move forward with confirmations and engage in negotiations with Democrats to expedite the process for dozens of remaining nominees. He added that some of those discussions would take place directly between the White House and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Senate Republicans spent Friday pushing to confirm or advance a series of lower-level nominees who would typically be approved with little resistance. Despite their efforts, over 150 nominees remain awaiting confirmation—including key judicial picks like Alina Habba, the acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.
On the Senate floor, Republican Whip John Barrasso criticized Democrats for what he called their “unprecedented obstruction of the Senate nomination process,” accusing them of intentionally stalling progress on Trump’s appointments.
“President Trump is the only president in modern history not to have a single nominee confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent,” Barrasso said, according to Just the News. “Not a single one. Even the most routine nominees are being filibustered.
“Positions that used to fly through by voice vote or unanimous consent are now treated and taken as political hostages,” he continued. “This isn’t normal. This is petty partisan politics at its worst.”
