Senate Republicans are coalescing around allowing the simultaneous confirmation of many executive branch nominees, a change based on a 2023 Democratic proposal — that would allow more confirmations than that plan’s 10-nominee limit.
“That is the consensus of our group. It was a brilliant idea by Amy Klobuchar,” said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
However, the change wouldn’t apply to judges or Cabinet nominees. There’s also still debate over whether to limit each vote to nominees from a single committee.
The Senate is slated to go on recess Sept. 19, and Republicans expect to move before that; Majority Leader John Thune told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt they could start as soon as next week. The GOP is expected to use the unilateral nuclear option to change the rules with a simple majority, picking a major fight with Democrats before the shutdown deadline.