Sen. Minority Chief Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks throughout a information convention on tariffs, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Washington.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
disguise caption
toggle caption
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate left Washington Saturday night time for its monthlong August recess with out a deal to advance dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees, calling it quits after days of contentious bipartisan negotiations and Trump posting on social media that Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer can “GO TO HELL!”
With out a deal in hand, Republicans say they could attempt to change Senate guidelines after they return in September to hurry up the tempo of confirmations. Trump has been pressuring senators to maneuver rapidly as Democrats blocked extra nominees than traditional this yr, denying any quick unanimous consent votes and forcing roll calls on each, a prolonged course of that may take a number of days per nominee.
“I feel they’re desperately in want of change,” Senate Majority Chief John Thune mentioned of Senate guidelines Saturday after negotiations with Schumer and Trump broke down. “I feel that the final six months have demonstrated that this course of, nominations is damaged. And so I count on there shall be some good strong conversations about that.”
Schumer mentioned a guidelines change can be a “enormous mistake,” particularly as Senate Republicans will want Democratic votes to go spending payments and different laws transferring ahead.
“Donald Trump tried to bully us, go round us, threaten us, name us names, however he acquired nothing,” Schumer mentioned.
The newest standoff comes as Democrats and Republicans have step by step escalated their obstruction of the opposite social gathering’s govt department and judicial nominees over the past 20 years, and as Senate leaders have incrementally modified Senate guidelines to hurry up confirmations — and make them much less bipartisan.
In 2013, Democrats modified Senate guidelines for decrease court docket judicial nominees to take away the 60-vote threshold for confirmations as Republicans blocked President Barack Obama’s judicial picks. In 2017, Republicans did the identical for Supreme Courtroom nominees as Democrats tried to dam Trump’s nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Trump has been pressuring Senate Republicans for weeks to cancel the August recess and grind by way of dozens of his nominations as Democrats have slowed the method. However Republicans hoped to make a take care of Democrats as an alternative, and got here shut a number of instances over the previous couple of days as the 2 events and the White Home negotiated over transferring a big tranche of nominees in alternate for reversing among the Trump administration’s spending cuts on international help, amongst different points.
Sen. Majority Chief John Thune, R-S.D., middle, speaks throughout a information convention after a coverage luncheon on the Capitol Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Washington.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
disguise caption
toggle caption
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
The Senate held a uncommon weekend session on Saturday as Republicans held votes on nominee after nominee and because the two events tried to work out the ultimate particulars of a deal. However it was clear that there can be no settlement when Trump attacked Schumer on social media Saturday night and informed Republicans to pack it up and go house.
“Inform Schumer, who’s below super political strain from inside his personal social gathering, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL!” Trump posted on Fact Social. “Don’t settle for the provide, go house and clarify to your constituents what dangerous individuals the Democrats are, and what an ideal job the Republicans are doing, and have finished, for our Nation.”
Thune mentioned afterward that there have been “a number of completely different instances” when the 2 sides thought that they had a deal, however in the long run “we did not shut it out.”
It is the primary time in latest historical past that the minority social gathering hasn’t allowed no less than some fast confirmations. Thune has already stored the Senate in session for extra days, and with longer hours, this yr to attempt to verify as a lot of Trump’s nominees as doable.
However Democrats had little need to offer in with out the spending reduce reversals or another incentive, regardless that they too had been desirous to skip city after a number of lengthy months of labor and bitter partisan fights over laws.
“We now have by no means seen nominees as flawed, as compromised, as unqualified as we’ve proper now,” Schumer mentioned.
