Senator Thune Warns Democrats on Nominee Confirmations and Funding Battles

Senate Business and Republican Accomplishments

• 🏛️ Republicans have been actively working, focusing on confirming President Trump's nominees, repealing Biden administration regulations, and passing a tax bill.
• 📊 The Senate has taken 499 votes this year, more than in any Congress at this point in the last 35+ years, indicating a high level of legislative activity.

Upcoming Legislative Priorities

• 🛡️ This week's agenda includes consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act, a critical annual piece of legislation.
• 💰 Following that, the Senate will focus on appropriations work to ensure government funding before the September 30th deadline.
• 🤝 Thune hopes Democrat colleagues will cooperate to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.

Obstruction of Presidential Nominees

• ⏳ Thune criticizes Democrat obstruction of President Trump's nominees, noting a historic level of delay compared to previous administrations.
• 🎯 Historically, presidents had a high percentage of civilian nominees confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote, a trend that has changed significantly.
• 🚫 For President Trump, not a single civilian nominee has been confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote as of September 2nd, 2025, contrasting sharply with President Biden's 76 confirmations by this point.
• 📈 Many pending nominees were previously reported out of committee with bipartisan support, suggesting the obstruction is not based on principled opposition but rather dislike for President Trump.

Consequences of Delay and Future Actions

• 📉 The obstruction is not only preventing the elected president from populating his administration but also slowing down essential Senate business.
• ⚖️ If Democrats continue to obstruct, steps will be taken to get the confirmation process back on a reasonable footing, as the current situation is unsustainable.
• 💡 Thune states the ball is in the Democrats' court to either cooperate or face necessary changes to the process.