The Senate will spend today continuing to process through a list of 135 outstanding nominations by taking up Confirmation of Executive Calendar #110 Earl Matthews, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense, Confirmation of Executive Calendar #94 William Kimmitt, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Confirmation of Executive Calendar #274 Susan Monarez, of Wisconsin, to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Confirmation of Executive Calendar #85 Sam Brown, of Nevada, to be Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs.
Senate Democrats have not allowed a single civilian Trump nominee to pass by unanimous consent or voice vote — even when Democrats have ultimately ended up supporting the nomination in significant numbers. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) is now threatening to cancel all or part of the August recess if Democrats “continue to drag out the process on even the most uncontroversial nominees,” warning “we can spend a lot more hours with each other in the Senate chamber.” The Judiciary Committee has been getting President Trump’s nominations in the queue for floor consideration, and Leader Thune has been scheduling them for floor votes at a steady clip. But there’s been little sign so far of any agreement with Democrats to advance the customary big batch of noncontroversial nominees ahead of the August recess.
