There’s a bit of a divide among Senate Republicans and conservative activists regarding whether the GOP leadership is effectively leveraging all options to confirm President Trump’s nominees.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has a couple of strategies he might consider to accelerate the confirmation process for Trump’s candidates, as some sources have indicated.

Thune has criticized the backlog of nominations, but there are voices suggesting that they could initiate closure votes to speed up the progress of candidates, potentially requiring the Senate to extend its work until those nominations are resolved. Alternatively, he might delay the process, allowing the president to make some appointments during a break.

Both approaches have their pros and cons, according to someone familiar with the Senate’s workings.

However, for the moment, leadership seems to prefer striking a deal with Senate Democrats instead of pursuing any of those options.

Leaders argue that they need to reserve time for legislative business, yet critics seem to question whether the legislative agenda truly takes precedence over the urgent need to confirm Trump’s nominees. Recently, some critical legislation addressing military construction and veterans’ issues was passed, along with various funding measures late on a Friday.

The Senate finds it challenging to handle legislative work while simultaneously managing confirmations, leading to a pileup of nominations. If they push through confirmations, it could halt legislative actions entirely. There’s concern that an overabundance of voting on nominations could politically backfire.

A source revealed that the White House is in talks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about getting a nomination confirmed.

Meanwhile, Republicans have employed tactics to criticize Democrats for delays, including a refusal to advance candidates under unanimous consent rules.

On the other hand, some conservatives argue that the Senate should take more proactive steps, potentially pushing Democrats to act more favorably toward the president’s nominations.

Thune could theoretically exert pressure to consolidate nominations by invoking Senate Rule XXII, which could reduce the discussion time on pending nominations significantly. However, if the Senate attempts to rush through all 144 nominees awaiting Senate floor time, it could effectively suspend other Senate business for a whole week and require round-the-clock sessions.

Senate aides familiar with the nomination process stress that Thune’s strategy of shifting all responsibility onto Democrats while prioritizing legislative activities isn’t likely to hold up.

“My policy team is a little baffled by what Thune’s folks are implying,” one aide noted. “The usual Senate business is quite straightforward—getting signatures and stacking nominations is not that complicated.”

Others close to the Senate operations echoed the sentiment that Thune focusing legislative measures over nominations doesn’t make sense. For instance, the military bill in question hasn’t passed the House as the Senate has reportedly stalled its progress.

During an episode of “Warroom,” Senator Mike Lee expressed support for a more forceful approach regarding nominations, emphasizing the urgency and importance of getting votes through, especially when time runs short.

Forcing Senate Democrats to spend significant time on confirmations could lead to a legislative bottleneck, and the GOP seems to be banking on a moment when Senate Democrats might be willing to step back and potentially obstruct other legislative matters for weeks or even months to work through the delays.

As highlighted by Lee, the goal is to create the most “inconvenient” conditions for Democrats when it comes to requesting unanimous consent for Trump’s nominees.

Rachel Bovard from the Conservative Partnership Institute, who has extensive experience on Capitol Hill, suggested that Republicans could combine efforts for a mass nomination strategy while considering legislative priorities alongside.

“They can work these items in tandem to push through candidates while addressing legislative concerns,” Bovard explained, noting that if the GOP utilizes their time effectively, it could set up a framework for future discussions on Senate business.

A different option for the Senate GOP is to leverage the president’s appointment authority.

During the “Warroom” segment, Senator Josh Hawley urged House Speaker Mike Johnson and Thune to unite under pressure to quickly advance candidates or face the risk of extended delays.

“It’s time for Senate leadership to engage House leadership and issue a clear message to our Democrat colleagues,” Hawley asserted.

An insider familiar with Senate processes mentioned that Hawley’s approach may have merit.

“Unanimous consent could streamline confirming a small number of candidates quickly or risk the president making appointments,” the source said, illustrating how that dynamic could create leverage.

Trump has the constitutional ability to fill vacancies during a recess, which means once Congress officially adjourns, he can appoint individuals without needing Senate confirmation.

Another aide pointed out that the House hadn’t passed any resolutions to allow for recess appointments prior to their departure.

Eric Teetsel from the Center for Renewing America argued that utilizing recess appointments could more effectively address the substantial backlog of nominees facing the Senate.

“The Senate could have worked harder, but they would still only dent the number of candidates awaiting confirmation,” Teetsel stated. “Recess appointments allow for filling multiple roles at once.”

Ultimately, there are a couple of theories regarding the reluctance of Senate leaders to aggressively pursue recess appointments. Some senators are described as “institutionalists” who are hesitant to cede their approval power, while others might simply refrain from approving certain candidates through this method.

Despite these challenges and dynamic interactions, Senate Republicans highlight that they are actually making progress in confirming Trump’s nominees compared to the previous term. Reports indicate that they have confirmed 109 of Trump’s nominees through roll call votes, compared to only 55 during his first term.