WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed 48 of President Donald Trump’s nominees at once, voting for the first time under new rules to begin clearing a backlog of executive branch positions that had been delayed by Democrats.
Frustrated by the stalling tactics, Senate Republicans moved last week to make it easier to confirm large groups of lower-level, non-judicial nominations. Democrats had forced multiple votes on almost every one of Trump’s picks, infuriating the president and tying up the Senate floor.
The new rules allow Senate Republicans to move multiple nominees with a simple majority vote — a process that would have previously been blocked with just one objection. The rules don’t apply to judicial nominations or high-level Cabinet posts.
“Republicans have fixed a broken process,” Thune said ahead of the vote.
The Senate voted 51-47 to confirm the four dozen nominees. Thune said that those confirmed on Thursday had all received bipartisan votes in committee, including deputy secretaries for the Departments of Defense, Interior, Energy and others.
Among the confirmed are Jonathan Morrison, the new administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Kimberly Guilfoyle as U.S. ambassador to Greece. Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and television news personality who led the fundraising for Trump’s 2020 campaign and was once engaged to Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr.
I wanted to reply to numerous comments, but I’ll just do it here. The people aggrieved that democrats/liberals/the left didn’t do more are not wrong for being upset, even very upset. Things are generally better for everyone, in recent history, under left-side leadership. But our representatives have been beset by corporate capture since the 80s/90s so by my estimation politics has been a performative art for my entire lifetime. Still anyone with their head above water knows you’ve got better quality of life under democrats, even if they are deceptive or corrupt.
The system needs replacement. It has been captured whole by multi-national industry, corporations, investment interests, and billionaires. It is currently being bent and corrupted to the point of no return. Even if democrats work for us, they only give us so much before bending for their donor money. I’ve always had this vague notion that for even the best intentioned, there’s only so far you can climb the ladder of politics before you refuse a bribe, or lobbying money, and they just boot your ass. Or blacklist you, or whatever, you just get locked out. I dunno how to end this, except to say that the whole world needs a massive paradigm shift, and it just doesn’t look like we gettin it.
You’re in a thread where the republicans are destroying the government into an authoritarian state and you’re saying we “need a new system.” Dude, you better show some receipts of people who have done this in the situation we’re in. Details on how this should be done.
If you’re saying communism or pure socialism (no democracy). You’ll have my go to request: Name one country that has done communism or pure socialism that has lasted more than 5 years in the history of the world.
Neozapatistas in Chiapas. 30+ years now…
Oh, okay. I’m sure it’s a paradise.
Its what they want. Which, frankly, is all that matters. Just because your colonial ass doesnt think its good matters very little.
Now, however, imagine how much farther along they would be if the US and Mexican governments didnt decide to wage open war on them for 20 years?
lmao socialism and democracy aren’t exclusive, you’re thinking of capitalism and democracy. If you want an example of effective democracy in a socialist country, Cuba had just over 90% in favor of their last constitutional referendum, which enshrined LGBT rights, among other things. This required years of meetings, debate, and organizing at the local level.
You want America to be like Cuba? Do you mean the bread lines? Cuz there are government allotted bread lines.
The bread lines were caused by being under blockade by a superpower nextdoor for 70 years.
Were you under the impression they were caused by Cuba being too democratic?
nah they’re just disingenuous overall
Again, they’re not a success then.
Why would that EVER be an option? Socialism is an economic system while democracy is a political one. You cannot have one functioning without the other. You want a socialist fascist state instead?
The Scandinavian states…? Wtf is “pure socialism”?
A conveniently movable goalpost.