With just a simple majority needed to confirm Donald Trump’s cabinet, Senate Democrats know they can’t single-handedly stop his nominees or prevent the GOP agenda. But they can stall.
During Trump’s first week in office, the Senate confirmed just two nominees, which is well short of what Republicans were hoping to have accomplished by now. The situation was so dire on Thursday that Majority Leader John Thune announced the Senate would remain in session over the weekend to vote on Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be defense secretary and Kristi Noem’s bid to lead Homeland Security.
Senate Democrats insist the delays are rooted in civic duty and constitutional adherence to the Senate’s role of “advice and consent” — favorite words of any senator kicking a nominee’s tires. But GOP senators are confident the obstructions are about something else: delaying the mandate.