Senate unanimously approves forty-eight of Trump's cabinet members simultaneously, following changes to the chamber's regulations
The United States Senate has broken new ground in the confirmation of President Donald Trump's nominees, with 48 appointees being approved simultaneously under revised rules. This move comes amidst a heightened political climate, as both parties continue to exchange accusations of obstruction.
The new rules, introduced by Senator Mike Lee, allow Senate Republicans to advance multiple nominations with a simple majority vote, rather than the traditional 60-vote threshold. This change has accelerated the confirmation process, with more nominations expected to follow in the coming weeks.
The latest round of approvals includes Jonathan Morrison as the new administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Kimberly Guilfoyle as the U.S. ambassador to Greece. Guilfoyle, a former California prosecutor and television news personality, was previously involved in fundraising for Trump's 2020 campaign and was once engaged to Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr.
The move has been met with criticism from Democrats, who argue that the new rules are a partisan ploy to give Trump more power and expedite the rubber-stamping of his nominees. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has stated that Democrats are delaying nominations due to their 'historically bad' nature.
Schumer has also accused Republicans of chipping away at the Senate to weaken its traditional checks and balances. This echoes a similar warning from GOP Leader Mitch McConnell to then-Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2013, when Democrats changed the rules for executive branch and lower court judicial nominees.
The new rules do not apply to judicial nominations or high-level Cabinet posts. However, McConnell famously changed the rules for Supreme Court nominees in 2017 to bypass Democrat obstruction of Trump's nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Tensions between the two parties reached a boiling point in August, when President Trump took to social media to tell Schumer to 'GO TO HELL!' during the breakdown in bipartisan negotiations over the confirmation process.
Despite the heated rhetoric, Senator John Thune has stated that the aim is to ensure Trump's administration is filled at a pace similar to his predecessors. The new rules are the latest salvo in a series of gradual changes to weaken the filibuster and make the nominations process more partisan.
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