{"id":27345,"date":"2025-12-20T03:34:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T03:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/?p=27345"},"modified":"2025-12-20T03:34:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T03:34:12","slug":"senate-gop-confirms-near-record-number-of-trump-nominees-in-first-year-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/?p=27345","title":{"rendered":"Senate GOP Confirms Near-Record Number of Trump Nominees In First Year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Senate Republicans confirmed nearly 100 of President Donald Trump\u2019s nominees, outpacing previous administrations and even his own first term, as they raced to wrap up the year.<\/p>\n

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A 53\u201343 vote Thursday approved 97 of Trump\u2019s picks, marking some of the final floor action in the Senate after a frenetic stretch driven by Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., once Republicans took control of the chamber in January.<\/p>\n

Along the way, Republicans navigated internal divisions to pass the president\u2019s signature \u201cone big, beautiful bill\u201d and reopened the government following the longest shutdown in U.S. history,\u00a0Fox News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Confirming Trump\u2019s nominees, however, often proved nearly impossible under Senate rules, as Democrats imposed blanket objections to even the lowest-level positions across the government.<\/p>\n

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Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Republicans began the year confirming Trump\u2019s Cabinet at a breakneck pace, only to run headlong into what he described as \u201cunprecedented obstruction from the Democratic minority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe began the year by confirming President Trump\u2019s Cabinet faster than any Senate in modern history,\u201d Barrasso said per Fox. \u201cAnd by week\u2019s end, President Trump will have 417 nominees confirmed by the Senate this year. That\u2019s far more than the 365 that Joe Biden had in his first year in office.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In response, Republicans invoked the nuclear option in September, lowering the vote threshold for confirming sub-Cabinet nominees. Since then, the Senate has approved 417 of Trump\u2019s picks.<\/p>\n

Thune accused Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of engaging in \u201cnothing more than petty politics\u201d by blocking routine fast-track procedures \u2014 such as voice votes and unanimous consent \u2014 typically used to advance low-level presidential nominations, Fox added.<\/p>\n

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\u201cDemocrats cannot deal with the fact that the American people elected President Trump, and so they\u2019ve engaged in this pointless political obstruction in revenge,\u201d Thune said.<\/p>\n

With the latest round of confirmations, Senate Republicans have nearly eliminated a nominations backlog that swelled to almost 150 pending picks over the summer. Just 15 nominees now remain.<\/p>\n

Those confirmed include former Rep. Anthony D\u2019Esposito, R-N.Y., selected to serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor, as well as James Murphy and Scott Mayer, two nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, among dozens of others spanning nearly every federal agency. Senators are also expected to consider Joshua Simmons, Trump\u2019s pick for CIA special counsel, before the night ends.<\/p>\n

At the same time, senators are working to advance a sprawling spending package that bundles five appropriations bills. Some Democrats, however, are objecting to the so-called minibus, casting doubt on whether it can reach the floor before lawmakers depart Washington.<\/p>\n

Negotiations between Republicans and Democrats continued Thursday night, with Thune saying as he entered the Senate chamber that the immediate priority was to at least clear the nominees package first, Fox reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see where it goes from there,\u201d Thune said, per Fox.<\/p>\n

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Senators also confirmed Trump\u2019s nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, as well as his choice of Douglas Weaver for a position on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.<\/p>\n

Isaacman\u2019s confirmation received broad support, passing the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 67-30. However, this was the Senate\u2019s second opportunity to consider Isaacman\u2019s appointment as head of NASA.<\/p>\n

Fox noted that Trump had nominated him to run the nation\u2019s space agency in December 2024, but he was pulled earlier this year after a \u201cthorough review of prior associations.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Isaacman was later nominated again in November for the same post, and Trump touted his \u201cpassion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

House Republican leaders, meanwhile, announced this week that when they return in January, they will move quickly to codify dozens of Trump\u2019s executive orders into law so they cannot be easily undone by a future Democratic administration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n