• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
Dem Senator Blocks Hundreds Of Trump Nominees Using Tactic He Once Called ‘Abuse Of Power’

Dem Senator Blocks Hundreds Of Trump Nominees Using Tactic He Once Called ‘Abuse Of Power’

April 7, 2025
Political Violence Surging Under Trump Isn’t Exactly ‘Far-Right’ After All

Political Violence Surging Under Trump Isn’t Exactly ‘Far-Right’ After All

July 27, 2025
DAVID BLACKMON: Zeldin, Trump, Prepare Assault On EPA Endangerment Finding

DAVID BLACKMON: Zeldin, Trump, Prepare Assault On EPA Endangerment Finding

July 27, 2025
EXCLUSIVE: GOP Rep Touts How Alaska Is Key To Unleashing American Energy Dominance

EXCLUSIVE: GOP Rep Touts How Alaska Is Key To Unleashing American Energy Dominance

July 27, 2025
STEVE MILLOY: Big Beautiful Bill Already Paying Big Beautiful Benefits

STEVE MILLOY: Big Beautiful Bill Already Paying Big Beautiful Benefits

July 27, 2025
George Santos Reports to New Jersey Prison

George Santos Reports to New Jersey Prison

July 27, 2025
MICHELE STEEB: A New Chapter For America’s Homeless: Structure, Recovery, And Hope

MICHELE STEEB: A New Chapter For America’s Homeless: Structure, Recovery, And Hope

July 26, 2025
JAMES CARTER: America’s Capex Comeback

JAMES CARTER: America’s Capex Comeback

July 26, 2025
NEWT GINGRICH: Trump Boom Or Democrat Gloom

NEWT GINGRICH: Trump Boom Or Democrat Gloom

July 26, 2025
JOSH HAMMER: Grading The Second Trump Presidency, Six Months In

JOSH HAMMER: Grading The Second Trump Presidency, Six Months In

July 26, 2025
Leftist Outrage Erupts At California Plan To Stop Paying Criminal Illegals’ Legal Bills

Leftist Outrage Erupts At California Plan To Stop Paying Criminal Illegals’ Legal Bills

July 26, 2025
Mexican Border State Asks Tourists to Travel Highways Only in Daylight Hours

Mexican Border State Asks Tourists to Travel Highways Only in Daylight Hours

July 26, 2025
LARRY ELDER: Dems Rail Against Colbert’s Cancellation — Here’s Why

LARRY ELDER: Dems Rail Against Colbert’s Cancellation — Here’s Why

July 26, 2025
  • Donald Trump
  • State of the Union
  • Elon Musk
  • Tariffs
  • Congress
  • Faith
  • Immigration
Monday, July 28, 2025
  • Login
IJR
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls
No Result
View All Result
IJR
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Dem Senator Blocks Hundreds Of Trump Nominees Using Tactic He Once Called ‘Abuse Of Power’

by Daily Caller News Foundation
April 7, 2025 at 6:31 pm
in News, Wire
235 17
0
Dem Senator Blocks Hundreds Of Trump Nominees Using Tactic He Once Called ‘Abuse Of Power’
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Daily Caller News Foundation

Democratic Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz is blocking more than 300 of President Donald Trump’s nominees from swift confirmation votes despite previously criticizing efforts to stall nominations during the Biden administration.

Schatz’s blockade on hundreds of Trump nominees and at least nine bipartisan foreign relations bills comes as Senate Democrats are escalating opposition tactics against the Trump administration to appease their left-wing base. Schatz, a member of Senate Democratic leadership, previously criticized Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s decision to place holds on military officials’ promotions as “obstruction” and “antithetical” to the Senate’s “advice and consent” responsibilities.

Schatz expanded his holds on Trump nominees to include individuals tapped to serve across 12 agencies, such as former New York Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito whom Trump appointed to a Department of Labor position, Axios reported.

“Their lawlessness is escalating and they are intentionally destroying the economy, and so I don’t think we should make anything easy going forward,” Schatz told Axios Monday. The Hawaii Democrat previously announced a blanket hold on State Department nominees following the Trump administration’s decision to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

However, Schatz fiercely opposed Tuberville’s use of a blanket hold on military promotions under the Biden administration, arguing in 2023 that the Alabama Republican’s decision to stall nominations was an “abuse of power” and a “stunt” that failed to achieve its desired effect.

Tuberville’s holds on military promotions lasted for nearly a year as he pressured the Department of Defense to end the agency’s taxpayer-funded abortion travel policy under former President Joe Biden. Trump administration Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth notably reversed the Pentagon’s abortion policy in January to comply with the Hyde Amendment, a longstanding provision that prohibits the use of taxpayer money to fund abortions with minimal exceptions.

Schatz suggested he would never impose blanket holds on a wide swath of nominees or legislation in a July 2023 speech on the Senate floor. In his speech, he argued that blanket holds are a clear abuse of a senator’s power to stall Senate business that is primarily conducted by unanimous consent.

By withholding consent on the 300-plus Trump nominees, Schatz will force Senate GOP leadership to use valuable floor time to process each nominee individually.

“Every senator has enormous power,” Schatz said in the speech. “I could probably block the defense bill this week if I wanted to, but I won’t — you know why? Because I’m not a maniac, because I understand that when you vest someone through your voters with this kind of power, you have to be very careful how you exercise it.”

“And so, in my 11-odd years [in the Senate], I’ve blocked one or two things, and when I block something, people know I’m serious,” Schatz added. “This [Tuberville’s holds] is a breaking of the basic understanding that we’re going to vest each other with the kind of authority that is pretty enormous. But in exchange you have to use that power wisely.”

Schatz’s blockade of all State Department nominees threatens to leave hundreds of national-security adjacent positions in limbo. The Hawaii Democrat previously criticized Tuberville’s holds for allegedly impairing U.S. national security. Tuberville maintained his blanket hold on military promotions did not affect military readiness.

Tuberville wrote in a June 2023 opinion piece in The Washington Post that his holds affect “only those at the very top — generals and flag officers. The people who actually fight are not affected at all.”

“Sen. Tuberville’s holds on hundreds of military promotions are hurting our national security,” Schatz wrote on X in November 2023.

Schatz, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is also placing holds on at least nine bipartisan foreign affairs bills. One of the bills is a resolution condemning China for decimating Hong Kong’s democracy and rule of law following pro-democracy protests that swept the island in 2019, according to Axios.

Senate Republicans have vowed to continue processing Trump’s national security nominees despite Schatz and other Senate Democrats’ attempts to slow down the pace of confirmations.

“Dilatory actions by Democratic senators won’t stop us from ensuring President Trump’s national security nominees are in place as soon as possible,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman James Risch told the Daily Caller News Foundation Monday.

A spokesperson for Schatz did not immediately reply to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Tags: DCNFpoliticsU.S. News
Share196Tweet123
Daily Caller News Foundation

Daily Caller News Foundation

Advertisements

Top Stories June 10th
Top Stories June 7th
Top Stories June 6th
Top Stories June 3rd
Top Stories May 30th
Top Stories May 29th
Top Stories May 24th
Top Stories May 23rd
Top Stories May 21st
Top Stories May 17th

Join Over 6M Subscribers

We’re organizing an online community to elevate trusted voices on all sides so that you can be fully informed.





IJR

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Trusted Voices On All Sides

  • About Us
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy
  • Subscribe to IJR

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Top Stories June 10th Top Stories June 7th Top Stories June 6th Top Stories June 3rd Top Stories May 30th Top Stories May 29th Top Stories May 24th Top Stories May 23rd Top Stories May 21st Top Stories May 17th