President Trump wants his nominees confirmed. Senator John Thune says Democrats are blocking the way—and he’s calling them out while signaling the Senate might work through August to get it done.
Key Facts:
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) criticized Democrats for obstructing President Trump’s nominees.
- Thune said 107 civilian nominees have been confirmed in six months, nearly double the pace of Trump’s first term.
- He accused Democrats of demanding procedural votes even for nominees they later support in large numbers.
- Trump has had zero civilian nominees confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent—unlike Biden, who had 44 by this point.
- Trump has urged Thune to cancel the Senate’s August recess to finish confirming key appointments.
The Rest of The Story:
Senator Thune used a floor speech to expose what he sees as a deliberate campaign by Senate Democrats to delay or block President Trump’s appointments.
Despite the hurdles, Thune noted, “we’ve confirmed 107 civilian nominees over the past six months,” calling it a pace nearly twice as fast as during Trump’s previous term.
The catch? Many of those confirmations only came after procedural delays forced by Democrats—delays that often ended with Democrats supporting the same nominees they held up.
Thune emphasized the lack of courtesy from the minority party, saying they had shown “not a shred” of respect for Trump or his administration’s appointees.
By historical comparison, the obstruction is without precedent.
Trump remains the only president in modern memory to reach this point in his term without a single civilian nominee approved via voice vote or unanimous consent.
Former President Joe Biden had 44 such approvals by the same time.
Trump, for his part, is pushing hard for urgency.
Posting on Truth Social, he asked Thune to “cancel August recess (and long weekends!)” to push through his “incredible nominees,” which he said “we need badly.”
Thune made clear that the Democrats have two options: allow routine confirmations or expect long days on the Senate floor.
“The choice is theirs,” he said. “Whether it’s the slow way or the fast way, we’re getting President Trump’s nominees confirmed.”
.@POTUS is the only president on record to be denied a voice vote or unanimous consent confirmation for any of his civilian nominees.
I’m hoping that Senate Democrats will work with us so that we can start getting folks – many of them with bipartisan support – into their… pic.twitter.com/fwoHs5CyVp
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) July 29, 2025
Commentary:
Thune is right to call out Senate Democrats.
The strategy of procedural stonewalling—even on uncontroversial nominees—is a cynical game that wastes taxpayer-funded time and resources.
It’s designed not to scrutinize qualifications but to undermine a president the minority party still refuses to accept.
However, speeches aren’t enough. If Thune truly believes Democrats are abusing Senate process rules to grind the government to a halt, he has the power—and the responsibility—to act.
The Constitution provides remedies.
First, Republicans could move to eliminate the ability of the minority to stall these votes. It’s been done before, and if Democrats insist on scorched-earth tactics, Republicans shouldn’t hesitate to take away their matches.
Second, there’s the nuclear but effective option: adjourn the Senate. That would let President Trump make recess appointments and bypass the blockade altogether.
Democrats can shout into the wind, but the work of governing would continue.
Thune’s warning only matters if it leads to action. If August recess happens anyway, then the message to the president is clear: Senate leadership is more interested in posturing than pushing.
You can’t say Democrats are obstructing while giving them exactly what they want: time.
Real leadership means putting country over comfort—even if it means skipping vacation.
It’s time for Republicans to either force cooperation or stop pretending speeches will get the job done. Anything less is just theater.
The Bottom Line:
Senator Thune laid out a strong case against Democrats for slowing down Trump’s nominee confirmations.
But if the Senate sticks to business as usual, his warning rings hollow.
The solution is simple—strip the obstruction power or adjourn and let Trump fill the roles himself.
The clock is ticking, and voters will judge who took action and who just talked.
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