Senate Republicans eye rules change to speed Trump nominees
By Alexander Bolton - 01/17/19 08:47 PM EST
Senate Republicans at an off-campus meeting on Thursday discussed making a rules change to speed the confirmation of many of President Trump’s nominees after Democrats slowed the process during Trump’s first two years in office.
“There was a lot of talk about the history of the Senate and appointments. It was a big topic of conversation,†said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who attended the all-day strategy session that Senate Republicans held Thursday at Nationals Park in southeast Washington, D.C.
The fate of Trump’s nominees was a top concern of Senate GOP leaders heading into the meeting.
“Sen. McConnell is going to talk about the historic level of obstruction by the Democrats for our nominees at the executive level and how he’s had to file cloture well over a hundred of times since President Trump has taken office,†Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (Wyo.) told reporters before the working session, referring the number of times Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has had to quash Democratic delaying tactics.
Of the 704 positions in the administration requiring Senate confirmation, only 433 are filled, according to tracking service provided by The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/425957-senate-republicans-eye-rules-change-to-speed-trump-nominees
