During his second term, President Donald Trump has left hundreds of government positions vacant, and according to the latest reports, Republican lawmakers are melting down over concerns that his inaction could hurt their party with the midterms looming.
Per the Daily Beast, “More than two dozen federal court seats remain vacant, along with the top jobs at the Labor Department and the Food and Drug Administration, among scores of other unfilled positions. An anonymous senior White House official told Politico that Trump is in no rush, though. ‘Ultimately, we need to have the right people in those positions,’ the official said. ‘So if it’s acting for now, so be it. If it takes a little while to find that perfect person, then it takes a little while.’”
But Republican Senators do not share this patience, as they see the clock ticking on the midterm bomb that is poised to blow up their majority, which will seriously hinder their ability to confirm nominees.
“We’re running short on time,” said Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) who sits on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. “We’d love to get at least one or two of them and get it in the next tranche.” On judicial nominees specifically, Tuberville said he wants “as many as we can get,” adding, “I don’t know why we don’t have more.”
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), a member of the Judiciary Committee, shares his concern, saying he “absolutely” wants to see more judges nominated before the midterms, calling judicial appointments “one of his greatest legacies, both first term and second.” His state, Texas, currently has three court vacancies but no nominees.
As the Daily Beast explains, “Trump inherited only about 40 judicial vacancies entering his current term — fewer than any president since Ronald Reagan — making the slow pace especially puzzling to some Republicans. Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley of Iowa has previously complained that the White House hasn’t nominated enough judges.”
But the nomination bottleneck isn’t just limited to the courts as the nominations of the Labor secretary and FDA commissioner must both pass through the HELP Committee, chaired by Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who lost his primary last month after Trump endorsed a rival. Depending on how vengeful Cassidy is feeling, he could prove to be another stumbling block in the GOP’s nomination agenda. As one insider speaking anonymously put it, “Why give Cassidy a platform to get back at DJT?” Another Republican Senator predicted Cassidy might ‘play games’ with nominees.
A third White House source summed up the Senate’s feelings about the situation, saying, “I really don’t think a lot of senators are in any mood to give the president any wins because they’re frustrated with him.”
