Trump laments slow confirmation of ambassadors, blames Democratic ‘hostility’

President Trump said Senate Democrats are threatening national security and demonstrating “hostility” as they hold up quick confirmation of his ambassador nominees.

Several Senate Democrats have placed holds on ambassador and other Trump nominees, which blocks the Senate from using its unanimous consent process to quickly confirm the nominees.

“It’s so hard to watch as Highly Qualified and Respected Ambassadors, who we desperately need representing our Country in Faraway Lands, are purposefully meant to wait as the Democrat Senators take maximum time for every single one of them,” Mr. Trump said Thursday in a social media post.

The president said Democrats’ holds are “only done to hurt our Country” and in numerous cases pose actual threats to national security.

“A process that should take a matter of minutes is forced into taking months, making it very hard on the new Ambassadors’ families, and not good, at all, for the Good Ole’ U.S.A,” he said.

Mr. Trump did not place any blame on Senate Republicans, noting they are “doing a great job.”

“But nothing much can be done when the Democrats make everyone sit, day after day, pushing the limits,” he said. “The level of hostility is not to be believed!”

The Senate can still confirm ambassadors, but to overcome the holds, Republicans have to bring each one to the floor individually for a procedural vote, two hours of debate and a final vote.

The process is slower but still allows for several nominees to be confirmed on any given day.

This week, the Senate has confirmed five ambassadors to U.S. allied countries: Mike Huckabee to Israel, George Glass to Japan, Peter Hoekstra to Canada, Ronald Johnson to Mexico and Kevin Cabrera to Panama.

Their confirmations came as Mr. Trump is negotiating trade deals with those countries as part of a broader effort to reduce trade deficits and avoid reinstatement of reciprocal tariffs he just paused for 90 days.