Senate GOP motivated to rapidly confirm Trump nominations ahead of party trifecta in Washington
Senate Republicans have taken President-elect Donald Trump's cue and are prepping to fast-track his Cabinet and lower level nominations once his second term begins in January.
"The American people delivered President Trump a mandate, and it is crucial that Senate Republicans confirm his nominees quickly," Republican Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno of Ohio said in a statement recently announcing his support for Trump's selections.
"Our Republican majority must unite and deliver a strong Cabinet so we can begin implementing the America-First agenda as soon as possible."
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This sentiment has been echoed by other Republicans as they discussed various Trump picks for key roles.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., recently told reporters that "ideally let's make it through the process. Let's do our due diligence, what we have to do and get them done in a very fast and effective manner."
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In the days since being elected, Trump has announced over a dozen selections for his Cabinet and various roles in his administration.
With Republicans gaining the Senate majority in the new year, much of the confirmation process for Trump's choices is expected to go smoothly — except for a couple of the more controversial selections. However, those nominees that may lack the votes could withdraw themselves before it becomes an issue, as former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., did.
"While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition," Gaetz, who was selected by Trump to be his attorney general, wrote on X.
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According to Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., "Priority number one for the new Senate GOP majority is to confirm Trump's team as quickly as possible when we take back the gavels in January."
Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., reiterated this in his own post to X, writing, "President Trump’s Cabinet should be confirmed quickly and without delay."
Not only will the Senate and White House be under Republican control, but the House will also have a GOP majority. With this in mind, Republicans are preparing to swiftly move as much of Trump's agenda through the legislature.
Republicans do not have the 60 votes in the Senate to beat a cloture vote, but they are preparing to bypass the hurdle through budget reconciliation to pass much of Trump's economic and tax plans.
Trump, notably, can only serve one additional term. In 2028, he is not eligible to run again. The next president could be a Democrat, or even a Republican who has differing policy goals or preferences. Republican urgency to complete Trump's agenda could be motivated by such knowledge.