Republicans modify the rules of the Senate to confirm Trump’s choices in lots

After failing a bipartite agreement, the Senate Republicans became nuclear for the fourth time in the history of the Senate on Thursday to accelerate the confirmation of the candidates of President Donald Trump.

The Republicans had threatened to turn to “the nuclear option”, which would allow a change of rule with a simple majority vote, to explode the blockade of the Democrats of the Senate and the head of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer, Dn.Y.

The legislators were frustrated that, during the first eight months of the presidency of Trump, not a single candidate had passed through an accelerated unanimous consent or vocal votes.

The head of the majority of the Senate, John Thune, Rs.d., argued that he should not have surprised the Democrats what the Republicans intended to do.

The GOP of the Senate rushes to the nuclear option after the agreement with DEMS collapses

President Donald Trump speaks to journalists as he leaves the White House in Washington on Sunday, September 7, 2025. (AP photo / Jose Luis Magana)

“I said all week:” We are going to vote on this subject on this subject, in one way or another “,” said Thune.

“We are going to change this process in a way that brings us back to what each previous president has had with regard to the way these candidates are treated here in the American Senate – by the two parties, the Republicans and the Democrats; the presidents, the Republicans and the Democrats.”

The change of GOP rule, born from a restarted democratic proposal of 2023, will now allow legislators to vote on Trump’s candidates in lots.

The change of rule of the Republicans of the Senate, which was presented as beneficial for current and future administrations, would only apply to candidates subject to the requirements of the Senate for two hours of debate, which includes positions at the level of sub-capuchon and choices of executive branches.

The judicial candidates, like the judges of the district courts and the district prosecutors, do not fall under the change of rule. Legislators are expected to plow dozens of candidates at the start of next week under the new rules in order to clean up the back of Trump, who have become more than 140 and count.

With the change in place, it will only take a simple majority vote to confirm the choices. However, the decision to make block packages will require 30 hours of debate before a final confirmation vote.

DEMS CRUSE while GOP is preparing to go nuclear in the race of candidates for Trump

Then, the minority whip John Thune after lunch of the Senate policy in Washington, DC, July 9, 2025. (Maxine Wallace / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Schumer took charge of this decision and argued that the Republicans had transformed the Senate into “a treadmill for unqualified Trump candidates”.

“It is a sad and regrettable day for the Senate, and I think that it will not take the Republicans very long to wish that they did not push the room below on this terrible road,” he said.

However, before resorting to the nuclear option, legislators were close to a bipartite agreement which would have enabled 15 candidates to be voted in groups with two hours of debate.

Senator Brian Shatz, D-Hawaii, blocked the new proposal on the field and argued that the Senate Republicans were trying to rush into the negotiation process before their outing Washington plan for the weekend.

“What they ask is unanimity, and we don’t have it,” he said. “And, therefore, if you are interested in adopting this on a bipartite basis, the process to do it – it is available for you. But, again, it is a question of lacking in time.”

Trump’s candidates accumulate while the GOP weighs the change of rule once floated by the Democrats

The head of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer, Dn.y., turned to an assistant at a press conference in Capitol in Washington on June 3, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP)

A frustrated Thune retaliated, “how long is enough?

“Give me a break,” he said. “Two years. Not long enough. And eight months? Eight months.”

The nuclear process began earlier this week when Thune spent 48 nominees, who all moved the committee on a bipartite basis, for confirmation on the soil.

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“It’s time to move,” said Thune. “It’s time to stop getting off. It’s time to vote. It’s time to repair this place. And the ideal way to repair it would be bipartite.”

The two parties have turned to the nuclear option of a handful of times since 2010. In 2013, the leader of the majority of the Senate, Harry Reid, D-NEV., Used the nuclear option to allow all the candidates of the executive branches to be confirmed by the simple majority.

Four years later, the head of the majority of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, r-ky., Went nuclear to allow the candidates of the Supreme Court to be confirmed by a simple majority. In 2019, McConnell reduced the debate time to two hours for civil candidates.