Thune: Deal on nominees up to Democrats and White House

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Friday afternoon that whether a deal is reached on 160 stalled nominees hinges on talks between the White House and Senate Democrats, and didn’t sound confident an agreement could be reached before the weekend.

Thune said “a number of people involved” from the White House are in discussions with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is under heavy pressure from the Democratic base to draw out the floor proceedings on Trump’s nominees as long as possible.

“That will be up to the discussions between White House and Schumer and the Democrats,” Thune said when asked about the prospect of getting a deal on nominees to allow senators to begin the four-week August recess, which is scheduled to begin Saturday.

Republican senators are growing increasingly pessimistic about reaching a deal to avoid working over the weekend.

They spent Friday churning through lower-level nominees who would ordinarily get confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote.

The Senate voted earlier in the day to end debate on Brian Nesvik to serve as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and to confirm Casey Mulligan to serve as chief counsel for advocacy for the Small Business Administration.

Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (Wyo.) blasted Democrats on the floor for “unprecedented obstruction of the Senate nomination process.”

“President Trump is the only president in modern history not to have a single nominee confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent. Not a single one. Even the most routine nominees are being filibustered,” he said.

“Positions that used to fly through by voice vote or unanimous consent are now treated and taken as political hostages. This isn’t normal. This is petty partisan politics at its worst,” he said.