GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks
By Jordain Carney - 04/03/19 03:49 PM EDT
Senate Republicans deployed the “nuclear option†on Wednesday to drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to confirm hundreds of President Trump’s nominees.
Senators voted 51-48 to change the rules for the amount of time it takes to confirm most executive nominations with only a simple majority of the chamber. GOP Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Susan Collins (Maine) joined with Democrats in opposing the rules change.
Republicans are expected to trigger the “nuclear option†for a second time later Wednesday to force through the same change for district court nominations.
The combined actions will result in most nominations that require Senate confirmation needing only two hours of debate after they’ve defeated a filibuster that shows they have the votes to ultimately be confirmed. Before Wednesday’s rules change they faced up to an additional 30 hours of debate.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/437189-gop-triggers-nuclear-option-to-speed-up-trump-picks
