The Senate was adjourned for the summer on Aug. 2 after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement to allow quick confirmation of dozens of Trump nominees.
Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Aug. 1 floated the option of recess appointments, but that would have required an adjournment of at least 10 days, which requires the consent of the Senate.
Instead, the Senate agreed by unanimous consent at 7:53 p.m. EDT on Aug. 2 to Thune’s request for the recess with pro-forma sessions every three days during the time off, meaning that Trump is unable to make recess appointments before the Senate reassembles in September. The next Senate vote is scheduled for Sept. 2.
Republicans are considering pursuing a Senate rule change in order to speed up the confirmation of presidential nominees. According to the Center for Presidential Transition, the average time to confirm presidential nominees has nearly quadrupled over the past six administrations.
“Either Democrats are going to play ball or we’re going to figure out a way to change it,” Thune said of the nominations impasse during a July 31 speech on the Senate floor.
On July 31, in a social media post, Trump called for the Senate to postpone its summer recess until all of his nominees were confirmed.
As negotiations for the Senate confirmations continued on Aug. 2, it became clear that the two sides weren’t going to agree on a deal.
In a post on Truth Social on the evening of Aug. 2, Trump criticized an offer made by Senate Democrats and accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) of “political extortion” by requesting additional federal funding in exchange for confirming a number of nominees before the summer break.
“Schumer is demanding over One Billion Dollars in order to approve a small number of our highly qualified nominees, who should right now be helping to run our Country,“ the president wrote. ”This demand is egregious and unprecedented, and would be embarrassing to the Republican Party if it were accepted. It is political extortion, by any other name.”
He urged Senate Republicans to turn down the offer and have a “great” summer recess back home with their constituents.
Schumer, in response to Trump’s post, held a press conference urging Republicans to work with Democrats on the president’s executive appointments for a “reasonable path to allow bipartisan Senate consideration, provided the White House and Senate Republicans met [Democrats’] demands.”
Schumer said the Senate was close on a deal for bipartisan nominees and blamed Trump for “pull[ing] the rug out from under them,” citing health care provisions in the federal budget.
After the chamber was adjourned, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said on X that Schumer and the Senate Democrats were “insisting on billions in U.S. taxpayer funds to support their flawed initiatives, as a condition” for confirming Trump’s nominees.
“Although today’s delay is a setback, I’m determined to make it a temporary one,” he wrote.
In the special Aug. 2 session, the Senate voted to advance seven Trump nominees before adjourning for the summer.
Luke Lindberg, Thune’s son-in-law, was advanced for consideration as under secretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. The Senate confirmed Fox News host and political commentator Jeanine Pirro to a four year term as U.S. attorney for D.C.; CatholicVote President Brian Burch as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican; Andrew Puzder as U.S. ambassador to the EU; and Miami-Dade County Judge Jason Reding Quiñones to be the next be U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida in Miami.
Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.
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