President-elect Donald Trump laid down the law to GOP senators, telling them not to play nice with the lame-duck Biden administration.
“To all Senate Republicans: NO DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS TO FAST TRACK NOMINATIONS AT THE END OF THIS CONGRESS,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“I won the biggest mandate in 129 years. I will make my appointments of Very Qualified People in January when I am sworn in,” the wrote.
🚨 Trump orders Senate Republicans to NOT make deals with Democrats on fast tracking Biden nominees at the end of this current Congress pic.twitter.com/lJA970Fdqm
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) December 18, 2024
According to The Hill, the Senate, which must confirm nominations at multiple levels, often makes end-of-session deals to approve nominations that have languished.
For example, in November, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republicans made a deal to approve nine federal district court judges.
The deal set aside four nominees who were unlikely to be confirmed anyhow.
To date, the Senate has confirmed 233 of Biden’s judicial nominees, which was the same number confirmed when Trump served his first term in office.
Democrats are trying to blunt Trump’s agenda before he takes office.
This is just one example of how the Biden admin is assaulting our democracy by seeking to jam in career employees who will thwart the new Trump administration.
Why would Treasury be hiring with 40 days left?
Civil service reform is CRITICALLY important.@VivekGRamaswamy… pic.twitter.com/O35wcoMIpF
— Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) December 14, 2024
An effort by Senate Democrats to pass a law that might be used to block Trump’s civil service reforms was blocked Tuesday, according to The Hill.
In his first term, Trump sought to implement reforms, but his term ended before they could be implemented. President Joe Biden wiped Trump’s efforts away in 2021, but Trump has said he will revisit the reforms.
That led to Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia calling for unanimous consent to send a bill through the Senate that would block Trump from changing the federal bureaucracy.
Proud to stand up today and block a desperate attempt by Senate Democrats to “Trump Proof” permanent Washington.
Reform is coming. pic.twitter.com/7zZX24Bced
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) December 17, 2024
Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri refused to go along.
“What we’ve seen in the last 100 years is the growth of an administrative state that isn’t accountable to anybody,” he said.
“There is no secret that President Trump ran on greater government efficiency and reducing the size of government. This is another effort to Trump-proof before Jan. 20,” Schmitt argued.
