Senate GOP readies 'nuclear' option, set for August break after nominations deal falls apart

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

08/02/25 8:37 PM ET


The Senate is set to finally begin its August recess without a deal on nominations as Republicans are intent on moving forward with a rules change to limit length of time spent on individual nominees enable President Trump’s selections to be confirmed more expeditiously due to a Democratic blockade.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had been trading offers throughout Friday night and Saturday. However, they were unable to seal the deal on a package that would have allowed roughly two dozen nominees to be approved before the month-long August break, which lawmakers have been anxious for.

In exchange for allowing the group of non-controversial nominees to be approved, Schumer had been pushing for billions of dollars of restored funding in foreign aid and for the National Institutes of Health. Trump, however, made clear that he would not throw his weight behind that agreement.

“Senator Cryin’ Chuck 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. This demand is egregious and unprecedented, and would be embarrassing to the Republican Party if it were accepted,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/5433989-senate-gop-nuclear-option-failed-nominations/

[thucythucy]

1. And every time Democrats held the Senate

we refused to use the nuclear option, even as the GOP blocked all our nominees, because... tradition?

Decorum?

Because "if we do it, then they'll do it too?"

As if anything would stop the GOP from doing whatever it wants once they have the power.

When oh when will we ever learn?

[Prairie Gates]

3. This is actually a moment to praise Schumer and the Senate Dems

I know, I know. It's hard, and people are used to the default attack option, but Schumer is really doing good on this nominee thing, and forcing the GOP to abandon their own rules is a good use of leverage.

Breath in. Breath out. Give kudos to Schumer here. You can do it, I promise.

[thucythucy]

6. Doing good work now doesn't negate the neglect to do

good work then, and when it might have made much more of a difference.

I'm hoping the various elements of the leadership have learned their lesson, and I suppose better late than never.

As for "breathe in breathe out"--people I know and love are at direct risk entirely because of this administration.

Canceling cancer clinical trials is going to make it very difficult for at least one of my dear friends to breathe at all.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Technically in this case

with respect to "nominations", the "nuclear option" was already invoked under Obama by Reid (and expanded under 45 by Turtle).

I think in this case, they are talking about other things to "speed up the process", like "limiting debate" (which currently stands at 2 hours per nominee, equally divided IIRC).

[thucythucy]

7. Thanks for the information, and I suppose I'm confusing things.

If the nuclear option for judicial nominations was in place, how is it that Merrick Garland's nomination to the USSC never came up for a vote?

And I seem to recall quite a few nominees were left in limbo due to Republican stonewalling. For example:

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/republican-senators-vow-to-block-future-biden-judicial-nominees

What am I missing here?

[BumRushDaShow]

8. The "nuclear option" had to do with a "cloture vote" before the final vote

At one time, all nominees required 60 votes before being considered for the final debate and vote. That was dispensed with.

In the case of Obama's nominees, Turtle simply "didn't schedule a vote at all", and sat on the nomination for 9 months, claiming that they needed to "wait until after the election to allow the next President to select the nominee".

THAT is the power of the Majority Leader of the Senate (and the GOP controlled the Senate at that time).

[thucythucy]

9. Okay. Thank you for the clarification.

Do you think I should delete my post?

It may be that your clarification may inform others as well, so perhaps not? I don't mind people knowing I've been mistaken,

[BumRushDaShow]

10. No you should leave it

If anything, the Rules of the Senate are obscenely obscure!

https://riddick.gpo.gov/

They even have bound copies! From Jeff Merkley a few years ago -

Link to tweet

Senator Jeff Merkley
@SenJeffMerkley
·
Follow
Ready to continue the battle.
Photo of a table with a newspaper. On top of the newspaper, a blue book called “Riddick’s Senate Procedure.”
11:56 PM · Jan 19, 2022

[thucythucy]

11. Thanks again,

and best wishes.

[Bayard]

2. He just feels like he can blather out anything on his own platform,

Insults, wackazoid ideas, or random musings.

24 nominees. I'm sure they are the Best People.

[Karasu]

5. Republicans are the last people on Earth who get to complain about stonewalling nominees, and they want to change the

fucking rules just for this fucking regime, as per usual.

Fuck them.