05.15.25

The Senate Has Confirmed Double the Nominees at This Point Compared to the First Trump Administration

Senate Republicans Are Confirming President Trump’s Civilian Nominees at a Faster Pace Than 2021 and 2017, Despite Democrats’ Attempts to Grind the Confirmation Process to a Halt

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THE FIRST PRESIDENT SINCE AT LEAST HOOVER TO HAVE ALL OF HIS CIVILIAN NOMINEES REQUIRE ROLL CALL VOTES. DESPITE THIS, THE SENATE HAS CONFIRMED THEM AT A FASTER PACE THAN 2021 AND 2017.

  • Despite Democrats’ attempts to slow down the confirmation process, the Senate has confirmed 67 of President Trump’s civilian nominees. (Congress.gov: 119th Congress Nominees – accessed 5/14/25)
  • Through May 15 of President Trump’s first year as president in 2017, 32 civilian nominees had been confirmed. (Congress.gov: 115th Congress Nominees – accessed 5/14/25)
  • Through May 15 of President Biden’s first year as president in 2021, 52 civilian nominees had been confirmed.  (Congress.gov: 117th Congress Nominees – accessed 5/14/25)
  • This week, the Senate confirmed the following Trump administration nominees:
    • Reed Rubinstein, to be legal adviser of the Department of State, 52-46. (PN25-50: Roll Call Vote #244 – 5/13/25)
    • Troy Meink, to be secretary of the Air Force, 74-25. (PN12-30: Roll Call Vote #246 – 5/13/25)
    • James Danly, to be deputy secretary of energy, 52-44. (PN13-4: Roll Call Vote #248 – 5/13/25)
    • Katharine MacGregor, to be deputy secretary of the interior, 54-40. (PN13-10: Roll Call Vote #250 – 5/14/25)
    • Michael Rigas, to be deputy secretary of state for management and resources, 51-46. (PN12-38: Roll Call Vote #252 – 5/14/25)
    • Emil Michael, to be under secretary of defense for research and engineering, 54-43. (PN12-31: Roll Call Vote #254 – 5/14/25)
    • Eric Ueland, to be deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, 52-45. (PN26-46: Roll Call Vote #256 – 5/14/25)
    • Sean Donahue, to be assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 51-46. (PN25-11: Roll Call Vote #258 – 5/15/25)

SENATE REPUBLICANS HAVE OVERCOME HISTORIC OBSTRUCTION FROM DEMOCRATS AND LEADER SCHUMER

  • Earlier this week, Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced he would be placing blanket holds on President Trump’s Department of Justice nominees. (Roll Call: Schumer announces holds on Justice Department nominees – 5/14/25)
  • But the reality is Democrats have been holding up nearly every single one of President Trump’s civilian nominees since he took office: “Safe to assume pretty much every Trump nominee has a Dem hold on them at this point. Otherwise they’d be moving through the floor a lot more quickly and without cloture votes.” (Semafor’s Burgess Everett: post on X – 5/13/25)
  • With the exception of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s nomination, every single one of President Trump’s other civilian nominees has required a cloture vote, an unprecedented number in the last 24 years:
    • Through May 15 of President Biden’s first year as president in 2021, 33 of his 52 confirmed civilian nominees required a cloture vote. (U.S. Senate: Cloture Motions – 117th Congress – accessed 5/14/25; Congress.gov: 117th Congress Nominees – accessed 5/14/25)
    • Through May 15 of President Trump’s first year as president in 2017, 21 of his 32 confirmed civilian nominees required a cloture vote. (U.S. Senate: Cloture Motions – 115th Congress – accessed 5/14/25: Congress.gov: 115th Congress Nominees – accessed 5/14/25)
    • Through May 15 of President Obama’s first year as president in 2009, one of his 107 confirmed civilian nominees required a cloture vote. (U.S. Senate: Cloture Motions - 111th Congress – accessed 5/14/25; Congress.gov: 111th Congress Nominees – accessed 5/14/25)
    • Through May 15 of President Bush’s first year as president in 2001, zero of his 56 confirmed civilian nominees required a cloture vote. (U.S. Senate: Cloture Motions - 107th Congress – accessed 5/14/25; Congress.gov: 107th Congress Nominees – accessed 5/14/25)
  • Democrats even forced cloture votes on over a dozen non-controversial nominees that went on to receive at least 60 votes upon final confirmation. (U.S. Senate: Cloture Motions - 119th Congress – accessed 5/14/25; Congress.gov: 119th Congress Nominees – accessed 5/14/25)

ClotureVoteChart_May15

(Click here to download)

 

REPUBLICANS WILL CONTINUE TO GET PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TEAM IN PLACE AND OVERCOME DEMOCRATS’ BLANKET OBSTRUCTION

“Democrats can drag out nominations all they want, but we’re going to fill out the president’s administration and ensure that his nominees get into place so that … he can do the job that he was elected to do.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)

  • This week, the Senate took its 250th vote of the year and continues to far outpace the number of votes taken by any Senate since at least the Reagan administration. (U.S. Senate: Votes – accessed 5/14/25)
  • The Senate Armed Services Committee “has advanced nearly two dozen of President Donald Trump’s Pentagon nominees already, twice as many as any administration has in this time frame since the start of the century,” and despite “near-uniform opposition from” Democrats. (Washington Examiner: Senate committee approves Trump DOD nominees at historic pace – 5/14/25)
  • “Twenty-two of Trump’s nominees have passed a committee vote, and the Senate has confirmed six in a little more than the first 100 days of the administration. During the same period in 2021, the Senate had only reported three of former President Joe Biden’s nominations out of the committee, two occurred during Trump’s first term, 11 took place during former President Barack Obama’s first term, and there were eight under former President George W. Bush.” (Washington Examiner: Senate committee approves Trump DOD nominees at historic pace – 5/14/25)
  • In the first 100 days of President Trump’s second term, the Senate confirmed 10 ambassador nominees, a total more than the incoming Biden, first Trump, Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton, and George H.W. Bush administrations. (Center for Presidential Transition: Joe Biden’s First Year in Office: Nominations and Confirmations – 1/9/22; United States Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 139, Part 5 – 3/31/93; United States Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 139, Part 6 – 4/2/93; United States Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 139, Part 1 – 1/26/93; United States Congress: PN226 — Terence A. Todman — Department of State – 4/19/89; United States Congress: PN221 — James Roderick Lilley — Department of State – 4/19/89; UnitedStates Congress: PN214 — Michael Hayden Armacost — Department of State – 4/19/89; United States Congress: PN209 — Vernon A. Walters — Department of State – 4/13/89; United States Congress: PN208 — Henry E. Catto — Department of State – 4/13/89; PN143: Roll Call Vote #19 – 3/7/89)
  • Additionally, in the first 100 days of President Trump’s term, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has reported out ambassador nominees at its fastest rate at the start of a new administration in the last 24 years.

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(U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee: President Trump, Chairman Risch Pass Historic Number of Nominees – 4/29/25)