Senate Republicans Clear the Nominations Backlog

Majority Leader | Research | The Leader Board | THE NEWSR...Skip to primary navigation Skip to content×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNE×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUFacebookXInstagramFacebookXInstagramVisit Leader Thune's South Dakota Site Here THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUHomeTHE NEWSROOMThe Leader Board10.07.25Senate Republicans Clear the Nominations BacklogOvercoming Historic Democrat Obstruction, the Senate Confirmed a Batch of 107 Civilian Nominations, Getting More of President Trump’s Team in Place (Click here to download)THE SENATE JUST CONFIRMED 107 TRUMP NOMINATIONS, EFFECTIVELY CLEARING THE CIVILIAN NOMINATIONS BACKLOGOn Tuesday, the Senate confirmed a batch of 107 nominations by a vote of 51-47. (Senate Cloakroom: post on X – 10/7/25)This is the second en bloc batch of nominations approved by the Senate this year, following Senate Republicans’ rules reform. (119th U.S. Senate: Roll Call Vote #526 – 9/18/25; Senate Cloakroom: post on X – 10/7/25)Confirmation of these 107 nominations has cleared 80% of the current civilian nominations backlog, paving the way for swift confirmations of the rest of President Trump’s nominations. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 10/7/25; U.S. Senate: Pending Nominations on the Executive Calendar (Civilian) – accessed 10/6/25)Of the remaining 26 nominations on the Executive Calendar, 10 are nominees to serve on federal district and circuit courts, which are ineligible for nominations batches and will be considered by the Senate individually. (U.S. Senate: Pending Nominations on the Executive Calendar (Civilian) – accessed 10/6/25; The Hill: Senate GOP tees up ‘nuclear option’ to end Democratic nominee blockade – 9/8/25)The Senate has now confirmed 298 of President Trump’s civilian nominations, 36% of which were confirmed in this latest batch alone:(Click here to download)LAST MONTH, SENATE REPUBLICANS REFORMED SENATE RULES TO ALLOW FOR EN BLOC CONSIDERATION OF PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS TO OVERCOME DEMOCRATS’ HISTORIC BLANKET OBSTRUCTIONOn September 18, the Senate confirmed the first batch of en bloc civilian nominations under Republicans’ rules reform, filling the Trump administration with 48 new members. (119th U.S. Senate: Roll Call Vote #526 – 9/18/25)“The nominees listed in the resolution span several departments and agencies. But they all have one thing in common: They were approved with bipartisan support in committee.” (Punchbowl News: Senate GOP to confirm 48 Trump nominees next week – 9/9/25)On September 9, when the Senate took the first step toward rules reform, there were 138 civilian nominations awaiting confirmation thanks to Democrats’ obstruction. (Motion to Table Schumer Point of Order Re: S.Res. 377: Roll Call Vote #510 – 9/9/25; U.S. Senate: Executive Calendar – 9/9/25)Republicans reformed the rules “in response to Senate Democrats’ unprecedented campaign to slow-walk Trump’s nominees.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Congress is barreling toward a shutdown – 9/15/25)Senate Republicans modeled the rules reforms based off of a 2023 Democrat proposal, which sought “to expedite the process for confirming certain presidential nominees and reduce the backlog waiting for approval.” (Roll Call: Resolution would allow bulk Senate confirmation without UC – 5/23/23)Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Angus King (I-Maine) led the Democrat proposal, which “would allow the majority leader to call up to 10 nominees advanced out of the same committee to be considered at the same time for a vote, excluding certain positions like circuit court judges, Supreme Court justices and Cabinet secretaries.” (Roll Call: Resolution would allow bulk Senate confirmation without UC – 5/23/23)The Senate in 2023 was facing very different circumstances: When Sens. Klobuchar and King introduced Democrats’ rules change resolution, there were 81 nominations awaiting floor consideration. (U.S. Senate: Executive Calendar – 5/18/23)“[T]he introduction of bloc voting has dramatically accelerated the process.” (Washington Examiner: Senate moves on 107 Trump nominees including Herschel Walker and Sergio Gor – 10/3/25)DEMOCRATS’ HISTORIC BLOCKADE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NOMINEES WAS AN AFFRONT TO SENATE PRACTICE; REPUBLICANS’ RULES REFORM RESTORED THE NORM OF SWIFT CONFIRMATIONSBefore President Trump even took office, Democrats received marching orders to politicize the nominations process: “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is privately pressing his senators to create fireworks when they question President-elect Trump's nominees in the coming weeks…” (Axios: Scoop: Schumer's plan to fire back at MAGA nominees – 1/8/25)Just two days after President Trump took office, Democrats had already “shown that they are willing to use procedural tactics to slow other nominees even if they are destined for confirmation, including forcing time-consuming floor votes on action that is usually done by mutual agreement.” (The New York Times: Democrats Slow G.O.P. Rush to Confirm Trump Nominees – 1/22/25)Democrats’ actions in stonewalling the confirmation of all civilian nominations are “a substantial change from the past and reflected a Democratic failure to recognize that Mr. Trump was the duly elected president entitled to his personnel choices.” (The New York Times: Senate Heads for a ‘Nuclear’ Showdown on Trump Nominees – 8/8/25)“Democrats have blocked more nominees than ever before as they have struggled to find ways to oppose Trump and the GOP-dominated Congress, and as their voters have pushed them to fight Republicans at every turn.” (Associated Press: Senate Republicans take first steps to change rules to speed up Trump’s nominees – 9/11/25)President Trump is still the only president on record not to have a single civilian nomination confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote at this point in his administration. (U.S. Congress: 119th Congress Nominees – accessed 10/7/25; The Daily Caller: EXCLUSIVE: Thune Says Trump Nominees Are Being Confirmed At Rapid Pace Despite ‘Historic’ Obstruction – 6/14/25)By contrast, 98% of Presidents George H.W. Bush’s and Bill Clinton’s first-term civilian nominations, 90% of Presidents George W. Bush’s and Barack Obama’s first-term civilian nominations, 65% of President Trump’s first-term civilian nominations, and 57% of President Biden’s civilian nominations were confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote. (U.S. Congress: President George H.W. Bush Nominations 1989-1993 – accessed 10/7/25; U.S. Congress: President Bill Clinton Nominations 1993-1996 – accessed 10/7/25; U.S. Congress: President George W. Bush Nominations 2001-2004 – accessed 10/7/25; U.S. Congress: President Barack Obama Nominations 2009-2012 – accessed 10/7/25; U.S. Congress: President Donald Trump Nominations 2017-2020 – accessed 10/7/25; U.S. Congress: President Joe Biden Nominations 2021-2024 – accessed 10/7/25)But thanks to Republicans’ rules reform, the Senate is getting back to the previous Senate practice of civilian nominations being confirmed in batches:(Click here to download)PrintEmailTweetNextPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram