Senate Republicans on Wednesday cleared the first procedural step toward confirming a large bloc of President Donald Trump’s nominees, setting up a later vote on 97 picks and marking the third time since September that the GOP has advanced a package of nominations after revising Senate confirmation procedures.
The move positions the Senate for a final confirmation vote expected next week. If Republicans approve the latest package, the Senate will have confirmed more than 400 of Trump’s nominees during the first year of his second term—surpassing the pace set by former President Joe Biden, who had roughly 350 nominees confirmed at the same point in his presidency.
The nominees span dozens of roles across nearly every federal agency. Among those included are former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., nominated to serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor, along with two picks for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): James Murphy and Scott Mayer.
Murphy and Mayer’s inclusion follows Trump’s decision to remove NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox, a move the Supreme Court found lawful earlier this year. Republicans argue the appointments are necessary to restore full staffing and keep key agencies functioning, while Democrats have criticized the administration’s approach to personnel and raised objections to multiple nominees.
Wednesday’s action also came after an earlier attempt to advance the package was delayed last week when Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., objected—an effort Democrats described as part of broader resistance to Trump’s nominees.
Republicans changed Senate confirmation rules in September to speed consideration of sub-Cabinet nominees by allowing them to be advanced with a simple majority vote. GOP leaders said the change was aimed at countering what they described as a months-long Democratic blockade that slowed staffing of federal posts.
One name in the original slate complicated that strategy: Sara Carter, a former Fox News contributor whose legal name is Sara Bailey. Trump nominated Carter in March to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy as director—commonly referred to as the nation’s “drug czar.” Because that role is considered a top-level position, Republicans would have faced the Senate’s 60-vote threshold if they tried to move her nomination as part of the same package.
With Democrats signaling they would not provide the votes needed to overcome a filibuster, Republicans opted to restructure the nominations and proceed with a revised, expanded package—adding nine additional nominees—while limiting the bundle to posts eligible to move under the updated, majority-vote process.
The Senate is expected to take up the final confirmation vote on the 97 nominees next week.
This article originally appeared on Official Trump Tracker. It is republished with permission.
