Senate GOP Approves More Trump Nominees With Record Speed

The Senate voted to confirm two of President Donald Trump’s nominees in a bipartisan fashion Tuesday and Wednesday.

Senators voted 66 to 28 to clear Daniel Driscoll’s nomination to serve as the president’s Army secretary Tuesday. The upper chamber also confirmed Jamieson Greer to serve as the president’s top trade negotiator in a vote of 56 to 43 Wednesday afternoon.

Greer is Trump’s 19th cabinet nominee to be confirmed. Senate Republicans are on track to confirm the president’s 22 cabinet nominees at record speed, outpacing the confirmation schedules of the three previous administrations’ cabinet nominees.

Driscoll won bipartisan backing during his confirmation vote with 16 Senate Democrats joining with GOP senators to clear his nomination.

Driscoll has pledged to focus on the Army’s recruitment and retention issues during his tenure as Army secretary.

“If confirmed, America’s soldiers will be my mission,” Driscoll said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Jan. 30. “Recruitment and retention challenges demand innovative solutions and a renewed focus on quality of life for our troops and their families. The Army has a rich history filled with American heroes in both war and peace. With the Army’s 250th anniversary this year, we have a unique opportunity to tell those stories to a generation of future soldiers, who may not yet know that service is their path.”

Driscoll cleared the Senate Armed Services committee on Feb. 21.