A Speed Lane For Trump Nominees?

There are currently almost 150 of President Trump’s judicial nominees awaiting confirmation (you can see a full list of them here) and while some progress has been made in clearing the backlog, Republicans are looking to speed up the process. With Democrats running out the clock for a full thirty hours of post-cloture debate and delay on what used to be a fairly normal, non-controversial process, the system has turned into a procedural quagmire. 

With that in mind, some members are pushing for another rendition of the nuclear option, shortening the debate time for judicial nominees below the appellate level and executive branch nominees below the cabinet level. If approved, a simple majority vote would allow the process to be completed. (The Hill)

A group of Republican senators wants to press the button on a new “nuclear option” that would limit debate time on President Trumps nominees.

The controversial move would hasten the pace of the president’s nominees getting confirmed and curtail Democratic power in the upper chamber.

Senate leaders have twice used the nuclear option to facilitate action on nominees in recent years.

In 2013, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) stripped the minority of the power to...

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