Thune Unveils Strategy to Delay Schumer’s Judicial Confirmation Efforts

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) has launched a plan to stall Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) final push to confirm Biden-appointed judges before Democrats lose control of the chamber in January. Thune, poised to become Senate Majority Leader in the 118th Congress, is leveraging procedural maneuvers to slow the pace of judicial confirmations in the waning days of the Democratic majority.

“If Sen. Schumer thought Senate Republicans would just roll over and allow him to quickly confirm multiple Biden-appointed judges to lifetime jobs in the final weeks of the Democrat majority, he thought wrong,” Thune said in a statement.

Thune’s strategy will significantly delay votes on judicial nominations, thwarting Schumer’s effort to fast-track as many Biden appointees as possible before the January 3 handover. Schumer made his priorities clear on Monday, vowing to prioritize judges during the lame-duck session.

“After we vote today, we’ll keep going,” Schumer said. “The Senate is going to keep prioritizing judicial and administrative confirmations this week, this month, and for the rest of this year.”

Despite Schumer’s determination, Thune’s procedural tactics could substantially limit the number of confirmations Democrats can achieve in the limited time remaining.

Thune was elected as Senate Majority Leader last week, narrowly defeating Texas Senator John Cornyn in a 29-24 vote. Florida Senator Rick Scott was eliminated in the first round of voting. After his election, Thune pledged to work closely with President-elect Donald Trump to expedite the confirmation of his cabinet and judicial appointees.

“The American people want change in this country,” Thune said. “They’re tired of the Biden-Harris-Schumer agenda, and they want President Trump to fix some things. We’re going to work with him to see that he gets his team installed as quickly as possible so he can implement his agenda.”

Thune also vowed to prevent Democrats from obstructing the confirmation process, noting that Senate Republicans would employ every available tool, including the budget reconciliation process, which Democrats had previously used to pass controversial legislation with a simple majority.

Under Thune’s leadership, Senate Republicans are prioritizing several key objectives, including:

• Fixing the border crisis: Implementing policies to strengthen national security and curtail illegal immigration.

• Revitalizing the economy: Cutting taxes and regulations to spur growth and job creation.

• Strengthening the military: Ensuring robust funding to maintain U.S. dominance on the global stage.

• Dominating energy policy: Promoting energy independence by expanding domestic oil and gas production.

Thune hinted at the possibility of using recess appointments as a last resort to circumvent Democratic obstruction but stressed that it would require unanimous Republican support to move forward.

As Thune takes the reins of the Senate, the GOP is positioning itself to reverse the Biden administration’s policies and advance a conservative agenda. The Republican push to limit Democrats’ final days of judicial confirmations is a preview of the battles to come in the new Congress.

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