Late last week, Senate Republicans invoked the "nuclear option" to push through President Trump's nominees, after Senate Democrats dragged their feet on votes. In discussions prior to this, Senate Majority Leader John Thune noted, "It’s time to take steps to restore Senate precedent and codify in Senate rules what once was understood to be standard practice — and that is the Senate acting expeditiously on presidential nominations to allow a president to get his team into place."
Democrats complained, of course, with Chuck Schumer using this as an opportunity to claim Republicans stole a Supreme Court seat.
Today, the Senate voted under those new rules to confirm a group of 48 nominees in one fell swoop.
✅ CONFIRMED: 48 nominees of President Trump — THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/pzBLX51dZ3
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 18, 2025
The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to approve dozens of nominees, acting on a rule change GOP leadership made last week that allows the chamber to confirm some of the president’s appointees in large batches instead of one at a time.
The 51-47 vote followed weeks of debate over whether senators could work out a deal on groups of nominees, with Democrats warning along the way that any changes to Senate procedures that benefit the Trump administration now will likely aid a future Democratic president.
“What Republicans have done is chip away at the Senate even more to give Donald Trump more power and to rubber-stamp whomever he wants, whenever he wants them, no questions asked,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said last week after Republicans initiated the rule change.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said during a floor speech Thursday a few hours before the vote that changing the rules was necessary after Democrats “fully broke the confirmation process.”
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Some of the nominees include Theodore J. Garrish (assistant secretary of Energy), Jessica Kramer (assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency), Sean McMaster (administrator of the Federal Highway Administration), Justin Overbaugh (deputy under secretary of Defense), Scott Pappano (principal deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration), Peter Thomson (inspector general at the Central Intelligence Agency), and Andrea Travnicek (assistant secretary of the Interior).
Senators Jim Banks (R-IN) and Mike Lee (R-UT) did not vote.
This "nuclear option" doesn't include high-ranking judicial nominees, Supreme Court nominees, or Cabinet-level appointments.
Editor’s Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.
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