Epoch Times: WASHINGTON—Exasperated Republicans failed April 2 in their effort to short-circuit Democrats’ unprecedented obstruction of confirmation of President Donald Trump’s executive and judicial branch nominees.
A motion to move to a final vote on Senate Resolution 50 to change the upper chamber’s procedural rules on nominations was defeated 51 to 48, nine votes short of the 60 required for passage.
The resolution’s failure now means Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) must decide whether to use the so-called “nuclear option” later this week in order to speed up the confirmation process of two Trump judicial nominees.
Under that option, McConnell will file a point of order against the expected ruling of the Senate’s presiding officer that 60 votes are required to end debate on nominees under the cloture rule.
When the rule is appealed, only 51 votes are required to overturn the presiding officer and end debate, thus establishing a new precedent ending the 60-vote requirement. The defeated proposed rule change would have cut debate time on most presidential nominations from 30 hours to a maximum of two hours.
The measure was introduced earlier this year by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), after Democrats forced extended debate 128 times on Trump nominees that could only be ended with cloture votes.
A cloture vote to limit debate must be supported by at least 60 senators, which is extremely difficult when the GOP has only 53 members. That means at least seven minority party members must agree with the majority.
Even then, debate is allowed to continue for another 30 hours after which a final confirmation vote must be scheduled. It’s not unusual, though, for several more days to elapse before the process is finally completed.
Many of the 128 nominees delayed by Democrats were ultimately approved with few or no opposition votes, a fact Republicans said proved the tactics were strictly political and not based on legitimate concerns about the officials named by Trump. MORE HERE
Hate is such an ugly word I make an effort to not use it. But I really am starting to honestly hate the democrats.
Can we even count on 51 votes when the republicans have only 53? Murkowski, Collins, Rand Paul and others spell trouble.
Boom done! Just like that.
Republicans trigger ‘nuclear option’ to speed Trump nominees
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/03/senate-republicans-trigger-nuclear-option-to-speed-trump-nominees-1253118
This just in:
And there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Film at 11
Ask Chuck if he wants to institute the old 60 vote rule before the next election and make him vote on it.
If he votes no, then nuclear rule every open bench all at once.
Then, ask about doubling the Supreme Court.
I don’t like waiting for someone to fuck me over. When they tell me they’re going to fuck me over, I believe them.
FU-… I mean, “NUKE ‘EM!!!” 😡
How is this different from what McConnell did a couple of years ago?
The 51-vote result is necessary these days because the minority no longer acts with decorum. Until the past decade or so the minority simply sought to ensure the qualification of the nominee, as instructed by the Constitution. Now, qualification to them means ideological conformity to their wishes, which was never the intent of the Constitution. So if they change the rules so do we.
“Two GOP senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, voted with Democrats to preserve the current rules.”
Traitorous bastards.
The rats of the GOP take turns stabbing us in the back – that way, they think we can’t pin anything on them. Vote them all out.
Harry Reid had no problem with the Nuclear Option, at the time Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin didn’t either, as long as the nominees were progressive socialists.
@ Tony R April 3, 2019 at 6:59 pm
That makes it so the Fake news media will report that it was a bipartisan vote! Yep, bipartisan vote against this
…..oh you mean there is one set of standards for Democrats and another foe Republicans. Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! Whoda thunk it.
It’s the “Reid” option.
For heaven’s sake, why do we allow them to control the language?
Shove it up their asses!
(or ass’es or asses’)
izlamo delenda est …
Oooh… Lemme guess which GOP cunts betrayed Trump… Romney, those cunts from AK and ME… Who else?