Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has scrapped the August recess to push through President Donald Trump’s nominees, halting lawmakers’ summer plans to address a massive backlog that’s angered Trump and put key judicial seats on hold.
The Senate was supposed to head out for recess Saturday.
That’s not happening.
“Thune said he would keep the Senate in session at least this weekend to work on the confirmations and to negotiate with Democrats,” Just the News reported, noting that “some of the negotiations will be done between the White House and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.”
The holdup comes after weeks of slow-walking, with Republicans trying to confirm low-level appointees while at least 150 Trump nominees remain stalled. That includes judicial nominees and figures like Alina Habba, who’s waiting to be confirmed as U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
Trump has been publicly slamming the delay, aiming particular fire at Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IO).
“Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the ‘Blue Slip’ problem… with a mere flick of the pen,” Trump said on Truth Social.
He torched the so-called “blue slip” rule, a Senate custom allowing home-state senators to block judicial nominations. Trump called it “an ancient, and probably Unconstitutional, CUSTOM” that Democrats are using to obstruct him.
“Put simply, the President of the United States will never be permitted to appoint the person of his choice because of [this] custom,” Trump said, accusing the system of ensuring that “fantastic people” can’t serve in states like New York, California, and Illinois—states Trump said are drowning in “crime and corruption.”
Trump wasn’t done. He warned that unless the rule is killed, the only options left are “a Democrat or, a weak and ineffective Republican,” which he refused to accept.
He then demanded Grassley “step up,” citing how Democrats under Biden ignored the blue slip rule to push their own judges.
The slow pace has become a serious problem. Just one Article III judge had been confirmed under Trump this term—a record low compared to Barack Obama’s 26 at the same point in his presidency.
Now, the pace is finally moving. The Senate recently confirmed Emil Bove, a former Trump attorney, to a federal appeals court. Others are moving as hearings and votes ramp up.
Still, Republicans are racing against the clock.
Senate GOP leaders are determined to advance as many names as possible before heading home. Trump has made clear: he expects loyalty, speed, and results.
And with Democrats ready to stall again once the Senate returns, Thune is betting on a rare summer grind session to avoid an even larger bottleneck later.
