Senate Majority Leader John Thune is preparing to play hardball with Democrats by signaling that he may invoke the so-called “nuclear option” to push through President Trump’s judicial nominees. After months of stalling from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the move could finally break the logjam and allow Trump to fill critical vacancies on the federal bench.
This showdown comes after Thune refused to cancel the August recess despite President Trump’s request to keep the chamber in session to confirm nominees. In July, Trump publicly called on Thune to “cancel August recess (and long weekends!)” to deal with the backlog of nominees. Thune instead allowed Democrats to skate by with a paper-thin schedule of pro forma sessions, effectively blocking Trump from making recess appointments and buying Schumer more time to delay.
Now, back from recess, Thune appears ready to make up for lost ground. “If Democrats continue to drag out the confirmation of every single one of the nominations of a duly elected president, then we are going to have to take steps to get this process back on a reasonable footing,” he warned on the Senate floor last week.
The Daily Caller reported that Senate Republicans are considering a historic rules change that would allow for the simultaneous confirmation of lower-level executive branch nominees. This procedural maneuver, known as the nuclear option, would eliminate the ability of Democrats to delay through endless debate and procedural games. According to a senior GOP aide, the change could allow over 100 stalled Trump nominees to finally receive confirmation votes before the Senate’s next scheduled recess on September 19.
Democrats, led by Schumer, have deployed delay tactics at nearly every turn to stymie Trump’s ability to staff his administration and courts. The strategy has left critical federal posts unfilled for seven months, creating headaches across the government. For Trump, who campaigned on reshaping the judiciary with constitutionalist judges, this obstruction has slowed one of his most important long-term priorities.
If Thune follows through on the nuclear option, it will mark a dramatic escalation in the Senate’s confirmation battles. Conservatives have grown increasingly frustrated with what they see as weak Republican leadership unwilling to confront Schumer’s obstruction. By going nuclear, Thune would not only deliver Trump’s nominees but also prove that Republicans are willing to fight fire with fire.
The question is whether Thune is truly ready to follow through or if this is more tough talk to placate the president. Either way, Schumer’s blockade may finally be running out of road.
John Thune: You better include all the pro gun stuff in this next bill regardless of what the senate parliamentarian says. She is not an elected official, she was Harry Reids doing. Yew blew it on the Big Beautiful Bill. Don’t let the Demonrats win this time. We the People are really getting tired of your nonsense and will fire you if you do not perform this time.
Chuck Schumer needs to hang himself. All Demonrats need to be in mental institutions. they are Crazy, immoral, and generally stupid. The gun violence they are always crying about is proof they only want control. They won’t lift a finger for mental illness. A gun cannot hut anybody unless mishandles by a person. Get your shit together.