WASHINGTON — Days before Senate Republicans choose their new leader, President-elect Donald Trump is pressuring nominees to change the rules and give him the power to nominate certain nominees without a Senate vote.
Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida face a secret ballot Wednesday to lead the GOP conference and replace longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down from his post after nearly two decades. . All three have courted Trump’s support in the race, vying to show who is closest to the president-elect as they campaign to become majority leader.
Trump has not supported the race, but on Sunday he made clear that he expects the new leader to bypass the Senate’s usual order, if necessary, to allow him to quickly fill his cabinet. In a statement on X and Truth Social, Trump said the next leader “must agree” to allow him to make appointments when the House is in recess, bypassing a confirmation vote.
“Any Republican senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to suspend (Senate!) nominations, otherwise we will not be able to confirm individuals in a timely manner,” Trump said, adding that the positions should be filled “IMMEDIATELY!” »
The Senate has not authorized presidents to make so-called recess appointments since a 2014 Supreme Court ruling limited the president’s power to do so. Since then, the Senate has held brief “pro forma” sessions when it is absent for more than 10 days so that a president cannot take advantage of his absence to begin filling positions that have not been confirmed.
But because Trump’s endorsement was paramount in the race, all three candidates quickly suggested they might be willing to reconsider the practice. Scott responded to Trump: “100% agree. I will do everything necessary to have your applications accepted as quickly as possible. And Thune said in a statement that they must move “quickly and decisively” to put nominees in place and that “all options are on the table to do so, including recess appointments.”
Cornyn said: “It is unacceptable for Senators D to block President @realDonaldTrump’s cabinet nominations. If they do, we will stay in session, including weekends, until they relent. » He noted that vacation appointments are permitted under the Constitution.
Sunday’s social media exchange became a first test for all three candidates since Trump was decisively elected last week to a second term.
Trump’s relationship with Congress – particularly the advice and consent role given to the Senate on nominations – was tumultuous during his first term as he chafed at resistance to his selections and sought ways to circumvent legislators. As Trump now begins a second term, emboldened by his landslide election victory, he is already signaling that he expects Senate Republicans, and by extension, their new leader, to align with his cabinet selections.
Trump also issued Sunday that the Senate should not approve any judges in the weeks before Republicans take power next year — a more difficult demand to meet since Democrats will control the floor and hold the majority of votes until what the new Congress takes the oath of office. on January 3. Trump posted that “Democrats seek to impose their judges while Republicans fight for leadership.” THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
With a few days to go, the race for leadership of the Republican Party in the Senate is in flux.
Both Thune and Cornyn are well-liked longtime senators who served as McConnell’s aides and were considered frontrunners, despite past statements criticizing Trump. Scott — a longtime friend and fierce ally of Trump — is considered a long-shot opponent, but he has launched an aggressive campaign in recent days on social media and elsewhere in an effort to win Trump’s support.
Senators close to Trump, such as Mike Lee of Utah and Marco Rubio of Florida, have supported Scott, as have tech mogul Elon Musk and others who have Trump’s ear.
“We have to be the change,” Scott said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “This is what Donald Trump was elected to do, to be the change.”
All three candidates promise they will be more open and transparent than McConnell and would give senators more power to make their priorities known. They also tried to make clear that they would have a very different relationship with Trump than McConnell, who once called the former president a “despicable human being” behind closed doors.
As the Senate debates how to fill Trump’s Cabinet, many of his allies are campaigning for nominations. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said on ABC’s “This Week” that there were “some great options on the table.” Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee who served as U.S. ambassador to Japan between 2017 and 2019, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that one of his greatest honors was representing the Trump administration abroad. He said he would defend “the positions expressed by President Trump.”
“I will do it in whatever role it takes,” said Hagerty, who supported Scott in the leadership race.
Although Trump has only made one personnel change public so far, naming Susie Wiles as chief of staff, he has already ruled out two names for top posts.
Trump said Saturday he would not invite Mike Pompeo, his former U.S. secretary of state and CIA chief, or Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as his U.N. ambassador and challenged for the Republican Party nomination. Pompeo rallied behind Trump the day before Election Day.
“I really enjoyed working with them before, and I would like to thank them for their service to our country,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., reposted on X a message from podcaster Dave Smith suggesting pushing to “keep all the neoconservatives and war hawks out of the Trump administration.”
“The ‘Stop Pompeo’ movement is great, but it’s not enough,” Smith posted on X. “America First: Screw the War Machine!”
Gomez Licon reported from Miami.
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