Senate To Confirm 97 More Trump Nominees After Democrat Blockade Fails

Republicans will confirm a bloc of eight dozen Trump nominees as soon as next week following an attempted blockade by Senate Democrats.

Republican leadership planned Thursday to kick-off the procedural process to confirm 88 of President Donald Trump’s nominees in a bloc vote, but were initially thwarted by Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who challenged the package for violating Senate rules. When Republicans refiled the package later on Thursday, the conference included an additional nine nominees, bringing the total to nearly 100.

Democrats blocked the group package because Sara Bailey — one of President Donald Trump’s nominees included in the package — was not eligible to be included.

When Republicans went nuclear in September to streamline the confirmation process over Democrats’ fierce objections, the conference did not allow cabinet-level positions or judicial appointments to be confirmed in a group package.

Bailey, a former Fox News contributor, has been tapped to serve as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which is a senior-level position on par with a cabinet secretary.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune argued that Democrats’ delay tactics amounted to “Trump Derangement Syndrome” during remarks on the Senate floor Thursday.

“Democrats – and their base – still can’t deal with the fact that President Trump won last November,” Thune said on the Senate floor. “And so they have held up every single one – every single one – of his nominations in revenge.”

The new package includes former Republican New York Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who has been appointed to serve as inspector general of the Department of Labor. Thirteen U.S. attorney nominees and dozens of lower-level executive branch nominees are also teed up for confirmation.