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 Board12.10.25Senate Republicans Continue to Swiftly Confirm President Trump’s TeamAfter Reforming Senate Rules and Clearing the Nominations Backlog, Senate Republicans Are Confirming Trump Nominations at a Faster Pace Than 2021 and 2017 (Click here to download)THE SENATE HAS CONFIRMED OVER 300 TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, FAR OUTPACING THE RATE OF THE BIDEN AND FIRST TRUMP ADMINISTRATIONS – AND NEARLY 100 MORE ARE ON THE WAY“Democrats – and their base – still can’t deal with the fact that President Trump won last November. And so they have held up every single one – every single one – of his nominations in revenge. But Republicans have not been daunted. We’ve just continued ploughing ahead on nominations – helping us rack up a historic number of votes this year in the process.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)As of December 10, the Senate has confirmed 318 Trump administration civilian nominations. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 12/10/25)At this point in 2021, the Senate had confirmed 278 Biden administration civilian nominations. At this point in 2017, the Senate had confirmed 274 first Trump administration civilian nominations. (U.S. Congress: President Joe Biden Nominations 2021-2024 – accessed 12/10/25; U.S. Congress: President Donald Trump Nominations 2017-2020 – accessed 12/10/25)The Senate has confirmed 26 individuals to serve as federal judges on district and circuit courts. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 12/10/25)The Senate has confirmed 53 nominations to serve as ambassadors to foreign countries and entities including the United Nations. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 12/10/25)18 individuals have been confirmed to serve as U.S. attorneys across the country. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 12/10/25)THANKS TO REPUBLICANS’ RULES REFORM, THE SENATE IS BACK TO THE HISTORICAL PRACTICE OF CONFIRMING LARGE BATCHES OF NOMINATIONS AT ONCEThanks to Senate Republicans’ rules reform in September, the 119th Senate has confirmed 155 civilian nominations via two en bloc batches. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 12/10/25; 119th U.S. Senate: Roll Call Vote #526 – 9/18/25; 119th U.S. Senate: Roll Call Vote #547 – 10/7/25)This reform was necessary due to historic Democrat obstruction: President Trump remains the only president on record to not have a single civilian nomination confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 12/10/25)But Republicans’ rules reform is returning the Senate to its historical practice of confirming civilian nominations in batches:So far, 49% of President Trump’s civilian nominations confirmed this year have been via en bloc batches. (Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 12/10/25)57% of the civilian nominations confirmed in President Biden’s term were via voice vote. (U.S. Congress: President Joe Biden Nominations 2021-2024 – accessed 12/10/25)65% of the civilian nominations confirmed in President Trump’s first term were via voice vote. (U.S. Congress: President Donald Trump Nominations 2017-2020 – accessed 12/10/25)90% of the civilian nominations confirmed in President Obama’s first term were via voice vote. (U.S. Congress: President Barack Obama Nominations 2009-2012 – accessed 12/10/25)90% of the civilian nominations confirmed in President George W. Bush’s first term were via voice vote. (U.S. Congress: President George W. Bush Nominations 2001-2004 – accessed 12/10/25)Roughly 98% of the civilian nominations confirmed in President Clinton’s first term were via voice vote or unanimous consent. (U.S. Congress: President Bill Clinton Nominations 1993-1996 – accessed 12/10/25)Roughly 98% of the civilian nominations confirmed in President George H.W. Bush’s term were via voice vote or unanimous consent. (U.S. Congress: President George H.W. Bush Nominations 1989-1993 – accessed 12/10/25)This week, the Senate took the first procedural steps in confirming its third en bloc batch containing 97 nominations. (Fox News: Dem attempt to thwart Trump noms backfires, Republicans tee up nearly 100 for confirmation – 12/4/25; U.S. Senate: Roll Call Vote #642 – 12/10/25)When the Senate confirms the third en bloc batch of Trump nominations next week, roughly 61% of his civilian nominations will have been confirmed in batches. (U.S. Congress: 119th Congress Nominees – accessed 12/10/25; Fox News: Dem attempt to thwart Trump noms backfires, Republicans tee up nearly 100 for confirmation – 12/4/25)Confirmation of the 97 nominations in the third batch will clear more than 90% of the current civilian nominations backlog. (U.S. Senate: Pending Nominations on the Executive Calendar (Civilian) – accessed 12/10/25)(Click here to download)HISTORIC DEMOCRAT OBSTRUCTION HAS NOT STOPPED SENATE REPUBLICANS FROM CONFIRMING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TEAMSenate Democrats continue to hold up nearly every single one of President Trump’s nominations, requiring time-consuming cloture votes on the vast majority of them, including many that eventually receive bipartisan votes on the Senate floor. (U.S. Senate: Cloture Motions - 119th Congress – accessed 12/10/25; Senate Majority Leader: President Trump's Senate-Confirmed Civilian Nominations – accessed 12/10/25)Democrats have required that every single Trump civilian nomination have a roll-call confirmation vote, a level of obstruction unprecedented in modern times. Due to this historic obstruction, roughly 54% of the Senate’s votes this year have been related to nominations. (U.S. Senate: Roll Call Votes 119th Congress - 1st Session (2025) – accessed 12/10/25)Senate Democrats have been delaying and obstructing President Trump’s nominations from the very beginning of his term, including waging “trench warfare” on critical national security nominations. (Punchbowl News’ Andrew Desiderio: post on X – 1/21/25; Politico: The Senate readies for a nominee siege – 1/21/25; Punchbowl News: Thune threatens weekend votes as Dems stall Trump Cabinet picks – 1/22/25)Before President Trump was even sworn in, Democrat leaders outlined their strategy: “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is privately pressing his senators to create fireworks when they question President-elect Trump's nominees…” (Axios: Scoop: Schumer's plan to fire back at MAGA nominees – 1/8/25)Then, they put their plan into action: Democrats have “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)Despite all this unprecedented obstruction, Senate Republicans confirmed President Trump’s Cabinet faster than the previous three incoming administrations. (United States Senate: Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Cabinet Nominations – accessed 12/10/25; PN78-10: Roll Call Vote #3 – 1/20/21; PN78-21: Roll Call Vote #64 – 2/23/21; PN78-17: Roll Call Vote #72 – 3/2/21; PN78-16: Roll Call Vote #116 – 3/10/21; PN78-9: Roll Call Vote #121 – 3/16/21; PN78-18: Roll Call Vote #123 – 3/17/21; United States Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 51 – 3/18/21; United States Senate: Donald J. Trump Cabinet Nominations – accessed 12/4/25; PN43: Roll Call Vote #32 – 1/23/17; PN51: Roll Call Vote #33 – 1/24/17; PN48: Roll Call Vote #65 – 2/14/17; PN54: Roll Call Vote #68 – 2/16/17; PN44: Roll Call Vote #71 – 2/17/17; PN41: Roll Call Vote #89 – 3/15/17; United States Senate: Barack H. Obama Cabinet Nominations – accessed 12/4/25; United States Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 155, No. 11 – 1/20/09; United States Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 155, No. 13 – 1/22/09; United States Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 155, No. 17 – 1/28/09; United States Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 155, No. 29 – 2/12/09; PN64-9: Roll Call Vote #100 – 3/18/09; United States Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 155, No. 56 – 4/3/09)PrintEmailTweetPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
