Senate Republicans on Wednesday moved ahead with a change to Senate rules that would significantly speed up most judicial and executive branch nominees by permanently slashing debate time.
The resolution was approved along party lines in the Senate Rules Committee. It will next head to the Senate floor for a vote, where the so-called nuclear option will be employed to pass it with just 51 votes instead of the typical 60, which will prevent Democrats from blocking it or having any say on the matter.
The rule change would specifically slash debate time from 30 hours to two hours for sub-Cabinet level executive branch nominees and district court judges.
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The resolution advanced after a tense debate that showcased the the partisan tension over confirmations that has been escalating for years as party control of the Senate has repeatedly changed hands and each party accused the other of obstructing nominees.
Republicans said the change is necessary now to reduce a backlog of Trump nominees who have stalled because Democrats have dragged out debate time even when they do not oppose the nominee. Republicans said Democrats are stalling to keep President Trump from staffing his Cabinet and from filling court vacancies.
“It’s pretty obvious the sole purpose is to eat up floor time,” said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a member of the Rules panel.
Democrats opposed the rule, even though it mimicked a deal approved temporarily under the Democratic majority in the 113th Congress.
The ranking Democrat on the panel, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who is running for president, said it is critical senators have adequate time to vet nominees.
“This is not the time to cede this chamber’s ability to do due diligence by removing the guardrails to ensure judicial nominees have the qualification to serve a lifetime appointment on the federal bench,” she said.
Rules Committee Chairman Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said a permanent fix to the problem of delaying confirmations is needed, and in a nod to Klobuchar’s presidential run, noted it would apply to future presidents, Republican or Democrat. Without it, the partisan slow-walking of nominations will increase, he suggested.
“Both sides will continue to up the ante on how we deal with this issue until we stop ourselves from doing it,” Blunt said. “This bill does that.”
[Also read: Trump calls for ‘nuclear option’ to ram border wall funding through the Senate]
