GOP Senate Makes Big Move For Trump Over Dem Objections

Senate Democrats spent much of last year delaying or blocking confirmations for numerous nominees

In response, Republicans invoked the so-called “nuclear option” for the fourth time in Senate history, changing chamber rules to lower the threshold for advancing certain nominations from the standard 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster to a simple majority vote, Fox News reported.

Traditionally, many civilian nominees had been approved through unanimous consent or voice votes without requiring lengthy floor debates or roll-call votes

The confirmation pace also surpassed Trump’s first-term numbers during the same period, when the Senate confirmed 323 nominees during his first year in office.