Senate majority leader John Thune is urging Democrats to reconsider their strategy of deliberately delaying the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominees.
Thune is working swiftly to assemble a presidential team, while Senate Democrats are attempting to stall the confirmation process for nearly every candidate. He argues that the unprecedented tactics employed by Democrats in the past six months could backfire when they find themselves in power again. “If they make this a standard practice, it could create a really negative environment when the tables turn,” Thune remarked in an interview.
He noted that the history of presidential confirmations has not seen this level of obstruction just to avoid roll-call votes for nominees. Thune spoke to DCNF after the Senate reached a milestone by confirming the president’s 100th appointee. The Senate Republican Communications Center reported that on a recent Wednesday, four additional appointees were confirmed, a rate that nearly doubles the pace set during Trump’s first term.
Under Thune’s leadership, the Senate has conducted more roll-call votes in 2025 than any in the last 35 years, according to SRCC data. However, Thune has consistently expressed frustration with the Democrats’ tactics to tighten the confirmation process.
He claimed that the Democrats are the most significant obstacles faced in this matter. Senate GOP leadership has been compelled to expend valuable time addressing individual nominees as a result of the Democrats’ blockade since the new administration began.
“Historically, there has been an effort to collaborate on placing individuals in key roles, but now everything is just stuck,” he stated.
So far, 23 Trump nominees have been confirmed, receiving over 60 votes. However, the Democrats have insisted on roll-call votes for nearly all of these, even though there was bipartisan support during committee reviews and in the Senate.
Senate Democrats have not indicated that they plan to change their approach, even as over 100 of the president’s picks await consideration.
Trump has noted the delays in confirming his nominees and has pressured Thune to accelerate the process. He urged Thune to cancel the upcoming August recess to focus on confirming his team.
Thune has indicated openness to keeping the Senate in session in August, a time usually reserved for lawmakers to meet with constituents and participate in fundraising activities.
“The president is dedicated to getting his nominations through, and so are we,” Thune commented. Senate majority whip John Barrasso echoed this sentiment regarding the slow confirmation process.
Thune suggested that threatening to keep the Senate in session could prompt Democrats to reach an agreement that facilitates faster confirmations.
He pointed out that during the first Trump administration, the Senate confirmed numerous nominees right before the August break through unanimous consent.
Thune added that if Democrats continue to impede the process, Republicans are unlikely to forget these tactics should they gain control in the future.
“We need to consider all precedents, including how things were handled when President Biden was in office,” Thune said.
The frustration with how Senate Democrats manage confirmations seems to be widespread among Republicans. However, when asked if the GOP might adopt similar tactics if they find themselves in control, several senators refrained from responding.
“This represents an unprecedented level of obstruction from the Democrats,” said Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri. “It seems they haven’t learned from previous elections.”
