GOP Uses Nuclear Option to Smash Democrat Blockade of Trump Nominees

Senate Republicans triggered the nuclear option Thursday to break through months of Democrat obstruction and fast-track the confirmation of dozens of President Donald Trump’s stalled nominees marking the fourth time in Senate history such a move has been used.

After a bipartisan agreement collapsed at the last minute due to Democrat stalling tactics Republicans finally acted, pushing through a simple-majority rule change that allows the Senate to confirm non-judicial nominees in batch votes with limited debate.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) made it clear earlier this week the Senate would no longer tolerate the Democrat blockade that kept Trump’s nominees from even receiving basic up-or-down votes.

“We’re going to vote on this on Thursday, one way or the other,” Thune said. “It’s time to quit stalling. Time to vote. It’s time to fix this place.”

Here’s what changed:

• The new rule applies to sub-Cabinet-level nominees and executive branch appointments, allowing confirmation after just two hours of debate.

• Judicial picks like district court judges remain unaffected, preserving standard confirmation procedures for now.

• Over 140 Trump nominees many of whom had been delayed for eight months or longer are now set to be processed early next week.

Democrats had dragged out confirmations since day one of Trump’s presidency. Through eight months, not a single nominee had moved through by voice vote or unanimous consent a courtesy routinely afforded to past presidents, both Republican and Democrat.

Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), reacted with the usual hyperbole. Schumer accused Republicans of turning the Senate into a “conveyor belt for unqualified Trump nominees.” In reality, the vast majority of the nominees had cleared committee with bipartisan support.

“This is a sad, regrettable day for the Senate,” Schumer claimed, “and I believe it won't take very long for Republicans to wish they had not pushed the chamber further down this awful road.”

But let’s be honest: Schumer and his caucus have made obstruction their only real strategy.

Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) torpedoed a last-ditch bipartisan deal that would have allowed votes on 15 nominees in exchange for two hours of debate, arguing Republicans were “running out of patience.”

Thune’s reply? “Give me a break. Two years. Not long enough. How about eight months? Eight months of this.”

This wasn’t the first time the nuclear option has been used and each time, it’s been Democrats who’ve set the precedent:

• In 2013, Harry Reid (D-NV) nuked the filibuster for executive branch nominees.

• In 2017, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) extended the rule to Supreme Court nominees to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch.

• And in 2019, McConnell further reduced debate time for civilian nominees.

Now, in 2025, Republicans are again forced to act to get the business of the American people moving — and to undo the damage of partisan gridlock that Democrats continue to embrace.

President Trump’s team has been held hostage by Senate Democrats long enough. From key agency roles to critical administrative posts, leftist obstructionists have treated the confirmation process like a political weapon.

No more.

This bold move is not just about speeding up confirmations it’s about restoring functionality to a Senate that Democrats have abused for pure political gain.

As Majority Leader Thune rightly put it:

“The ideal way to fix it would be in a bipartisan way. But one way or another it’s time to fix it.”

“The ideal way to fix it would be in a bipartisan way. But one way or another it’s time to fix it.”

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