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GOP Threatens to Drop the Hammer on Chuck Schumer’s Blocking of Trump Nominees [WATCH]

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August 6, 2025
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GOP Threatens to Drop the Hammer on Chuck Schumer's Blocking of Trump Nominees [WATCH]

Senate Republicans are weighing a potential rules change—often referred to as the “nuclear option”—after negotiations with Senate Democrats over confirming President Donald Trump’s nominees collapsed over the weekend.

The impasse came after President Trump accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of engaging in “political extortion,” arguing that Schumer’s demands in exchange for allowing votes on nominees were excessive.

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Without a deal in place, senators left Washington for the August recess, and a package that would have confirmed dozens of nominees with bipartisan committee support was left unresolved.

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Republican leaders are now considering whether to change Senate procedures to push forward on confirmations without Democratic support.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., criticized Senate Democrats for what he called “unprecedented” obstruction, pointing out that nearly every one of Trump’s nominees had faced a filibuster.

“We have been working through the list, but there is still a large backlog because of the unprecedented filibuster by the Democrats of every nominee,” Barrasso said.

“And if they don’t change their behavior, we’re going to have to change how things are done here, because a president needs to have his or her team in place.”

Typically, Senate rules changes require 67 votes, necessitating support from both parties.

But Republicans are eyeing the nuclear option, which would allow a simple majority to make changes—potentially lowering the threshold for confirming nominees.

Some within the GOP see Schumer’s tactics as having already brought the Senate to this point.

“I think that way is going to happen anyways, because of what Schumer has done. He’s forced this, and it’s ridiculous that he’s doing this,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.

“And so, whatever, we’re at this point, and we’ll do, you know what they say, every action requires an equal [reaction], and that’s what we’re at right now.”

Ideas under consideration include reducing debate time for nominees, eliminating procedural votes for some lower-level positions, bundling certain civilian nominees together in a process similar to that used for military confirmations, and reviewing the total number of positions requiring Senate confirmation.

Currently, more than 1,200 executive branch positions require Senate confirmation.

As of now, Senate Republicans have confirmed over 130 of Trump’s nominees, with an initial target of confirming at least 60 more before the August recess.

However, more than 140 nominees remain pending on the Senate calendar.

“I think they’re desperately in need of change,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.

“I think that the last six months have demonstrated that this process, nominations, is broken. And so I expect there will be some good robust conversations about that.”

No final decision has been made on when or whether to proceed with a rules change. The Senate is now in recess until early September and will return to face a looming deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Before departing, the Senate passed three spending bills—the first such movement in the chamber since 2018.

However, those bills are expected to encounter resistance in the House due to their spending levels, which exceed those approved by House Republicans.

Schumer warned that pushing a rules change without bipartisan agreement could complicate upcoming negotiations over government funding.

“A possible rules change would be a ‘huge mistake’ for Republicans to do on their own,” Schumer said.

“Because when they go at it alone, they screw up for the American people and for themselves.”

When asked about possible rules changes that could gain Democratic support, Schumer responded, “We should be working together on legislation to get things done for the American people. That’s the way to go, not changing the rules, because when they change the rules, they say, ‘Only we’re going to decide what’s good for the American people,’ and every time they do that, the American people lose.”

Despite the failure to reach a deal, some Republicans say they entered negotiations in good faith.

“We actually, we wanted a deal,” Mullin said.

“And these people deserve to be put in position… they’re going to say that we’re trying to do a nuclear option. The fact is, they – Schumer – went nuclear a long time.”



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