Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is speaking out over the slow pace of Senate confirmations.
In an appearance on Newsmax’s “The Chris Salcedo Show,” Tuberville blasted Senate Republicans for allowing delays in confirming President Donald Trump’s nominees. He argued that the GOP has failed to match the Democrats’ use of procedure to stall.
“We are so far behind for President Trump getting his people into place,” Tuberville said. “Our leadership has to step up. We should have had recess appointments. I was all for that.”
The Senate has returned from its August recess with the majority of nominees still waiting. During the break, Republicans chose to keep the chamber in pro forma session, a move that blocked Trump from making recess appointments. This decision has angered conservatives, such as Tuberville, who say GOP leaders gave Democrats an easy win by protecting their obstruction strategy.
Democrats have relied heavily on procedural delays, opting for full debate time on lower-level nominees. Republicans argue they inherited a broken system.
Now, Republican leaders are floating changes to the rules that would allow groups of nominees to be confirmed in a single vote instead of one at a time. Under the current rules, the minority can burn up days of floor time, slowing momentum.
Bulk confirmations would expedite the process for military officers and lower-level officials, while leaving Cabinet secretaries, appellate judges and Supreme Court nominees to the traditional roll-call process.
The Senate’s own calendar makes the problem worse. Long summer and holiday recesses often leave dozens of nominees stuck waiting, with last-minute confirmation flurries happening right before adjournments.
By keeping the chamber technically in session during these breaks, leaders in both parties have taken recess appointments off the table, a tool presidents have historically used to fill vacancies. Trump has been vocal about his frustrations with this setup, and Tuberville’s comments show that irritation is spreading inside the GOP.
U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Ala., has expressed a similar disappointment about efficiency in Washington. Her public remarks and social media posts stress the need for Republicans to advance Trump’s agenda instead of getting bogged down in process fights.
Tuberville calls for Republicans to “take the bull by the horns.”
“The Democrats know how to play the game. We obviously don’t, and so we’ve got to pick our game better, we’ve got to play the game better,” said Tuberville.
The mix of long recesses, aggressive procedural delays, and leaders unwilling to allow recess appointments has left the process more jammed than ever. As Republicans decide how to change the rules, Tuberville ensures that confirmations remain in the spotlight.
