As Republicans and Trump supporters recover from the enormous adrenaline rush of Inauguration Day, Democrats face a tough four-year road as they grapple with the fallout of a loss in the 2024 presidential election. They now live with the fact that the American people firmly rejected their policies toward a man they repeatedly called “Hitler” and a fascist in the final weeks of the campaign. As Donald Trump’s Cabinet appointments wind their way through the Senate confirmation process, Democrats simply cannot give up their childish, petty behavior and are now turning to recent tactics.
Good news:@LeaderJohnThuneMade a good start.
Simply threatening to let Senate Democrats work past 2 p.m. on Thursdays will facilitate quickly confirm Trump’s Cabinet picks.
Here is the current confirmation hearing schedule, per @PunchbowlNews‘ @AndrewDesiderio And @bresreports: pic.twitter.com/UYhiZj7RMp
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) January 13, 2025
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and chairman of the Senate GOP Conference. Cotton says Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is one behind the snail-paced pace of confirmations of Trump’s Cabinet nominees. On Inauguration Day on Monday, the only nominee confirmed was Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as Trump’s secretary of state. Rubio was sworn in Tuesday morning by Vice President JD Vance. Many of Trump’s other Cabinet nominees likely still need to be confirmed, including CIA Director nominee John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent, Homeland Security nominee Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. Cotton goes on to say that Democrats are using Senate procedures to disrupt subsequent confirmations.
READ MORE: What I learned from the Democrats’ terrible performance at the SecDef hearings: Ted Kennedy would never be approved
Senate Democrats can’t stop any of Trump’s nominees.
In good faith, Chuck Schumer should forego the 30-hour debate and let them have their vote.
Everything else is pure politics and will blow up in their faces.
— ⭐️The FJC⭐️ (@The_FJC) January 21, 2025
But Cotton is having none of it. He explained that if Democrats don’t stop, he will invoke what he calls “the Schumer precedent” in the future. He described it like this:
“Chuck Schumer is playing with fire with these nominations. If they just allow Marco Rubio’s confirmation tonight, they’ll be setting a Schumer precedent. As long as it’s me [in] As a U.S. Senator, no Democratic POTUS will have an official confirmed for more than one day, regardless of his or her resume or merits.”
While the above hearings have taken place, others are still awaiting. One of them is former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The Reason for Gabbard’s delay A procedural, ongoing FBI background check is required to obtain a hearing. But the delay in scheduling Gabbard’s hearing could be an example of Democratic shenanigans. According to the rules of the committee, a confirmation hearing cannot be held until seven days after receipt by the Committee of the “background questionnaire, financial disclosure statement, and responses to additional prehearing questions.”
All of these games are further proof that the Democrats, like their media brethren, can never fully see the future. While they’re busy reveling in the prospect of another four years of Trump, they don’t realize that at some point, when they get their act together, there will be another Democratic president with Cabinet nominees. Any future Republican Senate member would now be well within their rights to share this thought with this future Democratic president: “You found some nice Cabinet nominees there. It would be a shame if her confirmation hearings were postponed…”
Republicans may have other things to worry about than Chuck Schumer and his gang being sore losers. The American people have given Donald Trump, and with them the Republicans in the House and Senate, a clear mandate. If Republican senators are unwilling to form a backbone and find a way to put an end to the buffoonery of Senate Democrats, they will surely hear about it from their constituents.
It’s pretty protected to assume that this is a preview of the next four years. Senate Republicans had better get used to herding the cats.
ALSO READ: Senate Democrats force delay in Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation hearing, endangering the United States
The Democrats in the Senate have no chance with her… 😎@TulsiGabbard pic.twitter.com/x6P9CsN7fz
— Hunter Eagleman™ (@Hunter_Eagleman) January 17, 2025
