Republicans in the Senate are moving closer to changing the chamber’s rules to clear some of President Donald Trump‘s lower-level nominees, and they are considering a revived idea originally suggested by Democrats. The plan would let them avoid using the so-called nuclear option, which requires a simple majority vote to change the rules.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said, “The Democrats should support it because it was their original proposal that we are continuing. And I would not be surprised if they do not. This obstruction by the Democrats is all aimed at their far-left liberal base, who oppose President Trump.”
Throughout the week, Republican senators met behind closed doors to review their options and have begun coalescing around a proposal to confirm multiple nominees in a single vote, known as voting en bloc, for sub-Cabinet level positions.
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En Bloc Voting for Lower-Level Nominees
So far, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, confirmed in January, is the only nominee to pass through the Senate with ease. Since then, many positions in the administration have gone without a voice vote or unanimous consent, which are the usual fast-track methods for lower-level nominees.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., explained that before Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., led the Democrats, “this process always allowed lower-level nominees to be packaged and voted en bloc.”
Thune added, “This is the first president in history who, at this stage, has not had even one nominee approved by unanimous consent or voice vote. What the Democrats are doing is unprecedented, and it must be stopped.”
The list of nominees waiting for confirmation continues to grow, reaching 149 this week. Republicans aim to pass the rule change before Congress leaves for a recess starting September 22.
Republican Plan and Democratic Response
The idea comes from legislation introduced in 2023 by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Angus King, I-Maine, and former Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. Republicans are planning their own version, potentially removing limits on the number of nominees voted en bloc and excluding judicial nominees.
While Republicans prefer to avoid the nuclear option, last used in 2019 by then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to reduce debate time on nominees to two hours, they are prepared to use it if Democrats continue their blockade.
A senior GOP aide suggested that Democrats may actually support the change privately but are hesitant to show public approval. Sen. James Lankford, who worked with Thune and Barrasso during the recess to find a compromise, said that Democratic senators acknowledged they have “created a precedent that is not sustainable.”
He added, “Then they say, ‘My progressive base is demanding that I resist however I can. I know I am hurting the Senate, but I have to show I am fighting.’”
