Thune Slams Democrats for Blocking Trump Nominees: ‘Dangerous and Ugly Precedent’
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) issued a sharp rebuke of Senate Democrats this week, warning they are setting a “dangerous and ugly precedent” by obstructing President Donald Trump’s civilian nominees at a historic pace — despite often voting to confirm them once procedural delays are exhausted.
In a floor speech, Thune highlighted that the Senate has confirmed 107 of Trump’s civilian nominees over the past six months — a number he described as impressive, particularly given the minority party’s obstruction tactics. “It’s nearly double the confirmation pace we saw during President Trump’s first term,” Thune said. “And it’s in spite of Democrats forcing time-consuming procedural votes on even non-controversial appointments.”
What makes the obstruction so egregious, Thune argued, is that many Democrats are ultimately voting for the same nominees they delay. “This is about delay for the sake of delay,” he said. “We’re not talking about controversial ideologues here. Many of these individuals are receiving bipartisan support after being dragged through an unnecessary gauntlet.”
Thune pointed out that President Trump is the only modern president who, at this point in his term, has not had a single civilian nominee confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent — the traditional method for quickly approving non-controversial picks. In contrast, Joe Biden had 44 such nominees approved without opposition at this stage in his presidency.
“This isn’t just a snub to the president. It’s a snub to the American people who voted for him, and to the talented men and women stepping forward to serve their country,” Thune said. “Democrats haven’t offered a shred of courtesy — not a single one.”
The South Dakota Republican made clear that the Senate will continue confirming Trump’s nominees, one way or another. “We’ll do this the hard way if we have to — but we’ll get them confirmed,” he said. “The Democrats can choose to end their petty stalling tactics, or we can spend a lot more time together in the chamber.”
Thune also reminded Senate Democrats that this kind of obstruction will come back to haunt them. “They’re creating a precedent here — one that will be remembered,” he warned. “This goes beyond partisanship. It’s corrosive to the function of government.”
President Trump weighed in earlier this month, following major legislative wins — including the passage of his sweeping “One Big, Beautiful Bill” and a $9 billion spending clawback — and urged Thune to keep the pressure on.
“Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “We need them badly!!! DJT.”
So far, Thune has not officially canceled the recess, but insiders say the issue is under review — especially if Democrats persist in blocking even low-level agency and departmental nominees without reason.
As the Trump administration pushes forward with an aggressive second-term agenda, stocked with executive orders and trade deals, the slow-walking of key personnel could hobble progress. Republicans have made clear they’ll take this fight as far as necessary — even if it means shelving vacations to deliver results.