Sen. Minority Chief Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks throughout a information convention on tariffs, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Washington.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
conceal caption
toggle caption
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate left Washington Saturday evening for its monthlong August recess and not using a deal to advance dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees, calling it quits after days of contentious bipartisan negotiations and Trump posting on social media that Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer can “GO TO HELL!”
And not using a deal in hand, Republicans say they could attempt to change Senate guidelines once they return in September to hurry up the tempo of confirmations. Trump has been pressuring senators to maneuver rapidly as Democrats blocked extra nominees than normal this 12 months, denying any quick unanimous consent votes and forcing roll calls on each, a prolonged course of that may take a number of days per nominee.
“I feel they’re desperately in want of change,” Senate Majority Chief John Thune stated of Senate guidelines Saturday after negotiations with Schumer and Trump broke down. “I feel that the final six months have demonstrated that this course of, nominations is damaged. And so I anticipate there will likely be some good sturdy conversations about that.”
Schumer stated a guidelines change can be a “large mistake,” particularly as Senate Republicans will want Democratic votes to go spending payments and different laws transferring ahead.
“Donald Trump tried to bully us, go round us, threaten us, name us names, however he received nothing,” Schumer stated.
The most recent standoff comes as Democrats and Republicans have step by step escalated their obstruction of the opposite social gathering’s government department and judicial nominees during the last 20 years, and as Senate leaders have incrementally modified Senate guidelines to hurry up confirmations — and make them much less bipartisan.
In 2013, Democrats modified Senate guidelines for decrease courtroom judicial nominees to take away the 60-vote threshold for confirmations as Republicans blocked President Barack Obama’s judicial picks. In 2017, Republicans did the identical for Supreme Court docket nominees as Democrats tried to dam Trump’s nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Trump has been pressuring Senate Republicans for weeks to cancel the August recess and grind by way of dozens of his nominations as Democrats have slowed the method. However Republicans hoped to make a cope with Democrats as a substitute, and got here shut a number of instances over the previous few days as the 2 events and the White Home negotiated over transferring a big tranche of nominees in change for reversing among the Trump administration’s spending cuts on international help, amongst different points.
Sen. Majority Chief John Thune, R-S.D., heart, speaks throughout a information convention after a coverage luncheon on the Capitol Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Washington.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
conceal caption
toggle caption
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
The Senate held a uncommon weekend session on Saturday as Republicans held votes on nominee after nominee and because the two events tried to work out the ultimate particulars of a deal. However it was clear that there can be no settlement when Trump attacked Schumer on social media Saturday night and instructed Republicans to pack it up and go dwelling.
“Inform Schumer, who’s below great political strain from inside his personal social gathering, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL!” Trump posted on Reality Social. “Don’t settle for the supply, go dwelling and clarify to your constituents what dangerous individuals the Democrats are, and what a terrific job the Republicans are doing, and have completed, for our Nation.”
Thune stated afterward that there have been “a number of totally different instances” when the 2 sides thought that they had a deal, however in the long run “we did not shut it out.”
It is the primary time in current historical past that the minority social gathering hasn’t allowed not less than some fast confirmations. Thune has already stored the Senate in session for extra days, and with longer hours, this 12 months to try to affirm as a lot of Trump’s nominees as doable.
However Democrats had little want to provide in with out the spending minimize reversals or another incentive, though they too had been wanting to skip city after a number of lengthy months of labor and bitter partisan fights over laws.
“Now we have by no means seen nominees as flawed, as compromised, as unqualified as we’ve got proper now,” Schumer stated.
