Over 100 conservative leaders are calling on Senate Republican leadership to act with haste to confirm President Trump’s nominees. Read the memo on CAP’s website.
October 10, 2017
Washington, DC
As President Trump approaches the end of his first year in office, his ability to implement his agenda across the executive branch has been hindered by the Senate’s failure to confirm his nominations.
Under unified government, President Trump has still faced a slower pace of confirmations than that of Presidents Bush or Obama, both of whom had nearly half of their nominees confirmed by this time in their respective terms. Specifically, President Bush had 358 of his 610 nominations cleared. President Obama had 341 out of 505 nominations confirmed. Currently, President Trump has only had 161 confirmations of the 398 individuals nominated.
The slow pace of Senate confirmations is exacerbated by the Senate’s continued insistence on working no more than 2 ½ days a week – arriving on Monday evening for a handful of votes, and departing, on average, by 2:30 p.m. each Thursday afternoon.
Previous Senates worked harder. The Reid Senate of 2009 averaged a departure time of 6:15 p.m. every Thursday, and oftentimes stayed as late as 11:30 p.m. to finish their work. In fact, the Reid Senate of 2009-2010 spent nearly 2,500 hours in session, compared to the McConnell Senate of 2015-2016, which spent just 1,855 hours in session.
Also troubling is the Republican insistence that Democrats are “obstructing” votes on these nominations, as claimed in a recent press release from the Senate Majority Leader’s office. It is unclear what obstruction is taking place. Democrats no longer have the ability to filibuster any nominees, judicial or executive. Any simple objections they do make – such as running all post-cloture time – are simply process objections that can be easily overcome.
Moreover, if Democrats are going to insist on all post-cloture time to be run, Majority Leader McConnell can easily make this painful for them by forcing continuous session overnight and through the weekend. If the Senate stayed in session continuously for a week (including the weekend), they could confirm up to five nominees every week even if Democrats made them run the full post-cloture time on each nomination.
Democrats may be able to delay consideration of nominees for a short time, but they ultimately can no longer obstruct. In the absence of the filibuster, the fate of every nominee rests solely with Majority Leader McConnell and the will of the GOP conference to do the necessary work.
Personnel is policy. In delaying the confirmation of President Trump’s appointees, the Senate is directly limiting the President’s effectiveness. This is not only true because positions remain vacant and work is not being accomplished, but because without the direction of Trump’s political appointees, career officials are left unsupervised. As has been documented in many instances, career officials that disagree with the President have taken measures to actively thwart his priorities.
Furthermore, continued delay results in ongoing unanswered partisan attacks designed to tarnish the personal and professional reputations of the president’s nominees. Both Russell Vought, nominated to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Amy Coney Barrett, nominated to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, have been subject to scurrilous attacks by Democratic senators who have attempted to link the faith of Vought and Barrett to their qualification for office. Not only is this an unconstitutional religious test, but such statements subject both Vought and Barrett to unwarranted and offensive criticism to which they cannot give a robust response. Other nominees are being unnecessarily delayed because Republican Senators failed to appear at committee meetings where the nominations were to be voted upon, forcing cancellation of the committee’s action on the nomination.
The Republican Senate should prioritize these nominations and others like them. Vought and Barrett are both immensely qualified for the positions to which they’ve been nominated, and the GOP should confirm them swiftly, not only because of their excellent credentials, but also as a definitive answer to the Democrats who are attempting to place a religious test on an appointed office. Deputy Labor Secretary-nominee Patrick Pizzella is highly qualified and yet the GOP has failed to move his nomination. These are just a few of the stories of President Trump’s nominations languishing in the Senate.
The Senate plays a critical Constitutional role in helping the President shape and implement his priorities by passing legislation, but also by confirming the President’s nominations. We urge the Senate to take its role seriously and act with haste to confirm the individuals that President Trump has selected to assist him in carrying out his mandate.
To that end, the Conservative Movement calls on the Senate leadership to IMMEDIATELY schedule committee and floor action every Thursday and Friday for the foreseeable future to act on President Trump’s nominees for executive and judicial office and to begin working a full week, EVERY week, until all nominations have been acted upon.
The United States Senate behaves as though there are no time limits and no urgency to these matters. They are wrong and we cannot overstate the frustration and growing concern with the Republican Senate leadership for its failure during this entire year to do its work, process the nominations and address the issues that the American people have elected and pay them to handle.
We urge the Senate to get to work – now.
| The Honorable Edwin Meese III Former Attorney General President Ronald Reagan |
The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop Chairman, Conservative Action Project Former White House Advisor, President Ronald Reagan |
| The Honorable Tony Perkins President, Family Research Council President, Council for National Policy |
William L. Walton Chairman CNP Action, Inc. |
| Adam Brandon President FreedomWorks |
The Honorable Bob McEwen U.S. House of Representatives Former Member, Ohio |
| The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell Chairman Constitutional Congress, Inc. |
Herman Pirchner, Jr. Founding President American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) |
| The Honorable Jim DeMint U.S. Senate Former Member, South Carolina |
Tom McClusky President March for Life Action |
| Ed Corrigan Former Executive Director Senate Steering Committee |
Rachel Bovard Former Policy Director Senate Steering Committee |
| Cleta Mitchell, Esq. | David Bozell President ForAmerica |
| Alfred S. Regnery Chairman Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund |
Diana Banister President and Partner Shirley & Banister Public Affairs |
| Colin A. Hanna President Let Freedom Ring |
The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr. Chief Assistant to President Reagan for Domestic Affairs |
| The Honorable David McIntosh Former Member, Indiana U.S. House of Representatives |
L. Brent Bozell, III Founder and President Media Research Center |
| The Honorable Donald Devine Former Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management under President Ronald Reagan |
The Honorable James C. Miller III Budget Director for President Reagan, 1985-1988, President Reagan’s OMB |
| Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin US Army (Ret.) Kingdom Warriors Ministry |
Belden Bell Cochair Heritage Legacy Society The Heritage Foundation |
| Elaine Donnelly President Center for Military Readiness |
Kenneth F. Boehm Chairman National Legal and Policy Center |
| James L. Martin Founder/Chairman 60 Plus Association |
Seton Motley President Less Government |
| Jenny Beth Martin President & Co-Founder Tea Party Patriots |
Penny Young Nance CEO and President, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee |
| David N. Bossie President Citizens United |
Anthony Saliba CEO Saliba Venture Management LLC |
| Ginni Thomas President Liberty Consulting |
Rebecca Hagelin Secretary, Council for National Policy Board of Directors, FamilyTalk |
| Brad Dacus, Esq. President Pacific Justice Institute |
L. Martin Nussbaum Attorney |
| The Honorable Jason Rapert Senator Arkansas Senate |
Terrence Scanlon Retired CEO/President Capital Research Center |
| Joseph A. Morris Morris & De La Rosa |
William Mills President MPW Properties |
| Andrea S. Lafferty President Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) |
Kelly Shackelford President/CEO/Chief Counsel First Liberty Institute |
| Frank J. Gaffney President Center for Security Policy |
Floyd Brown Chairman Western Center for Journalism |
| Mica Mosbacher Advisor Trump 2020 Board |
Ron Robinson President Young America’s Foundation |
| Heather R. Higgins President and CEO Independent Women’s Voice |
Carrie L. Lukas President Independent Women’s Forum |
| Kathleen A. Patten President & CEO American Target Advertising, Inc. |
Rod D. Martin Founder & CEO The Martin Organization, Inc. |
| Sherri R. Martin Executive Vice President The Martin Organization, Inc. |
Haley E. Martin President The Martin Foundation |
| Evelio Silvera Campaign for the American Future |
Nicholas Stehle Campaign for the American Future |
| Shawn A. Mitchell National Chaplain National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
Jerry Melvin President Florida Republican Assembly |
| Rick Manning President Americans for Limited Government |
Lewis K. Uhler President National Tax Limitation Committee |
| Judson Phillips Founder Tea Party Nation |
Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D. Washington Bureau Chief Infowars.com |
| Kevin Freeman Founder NSIC Institute |
Richard A. Viguerie Chairman ConservativeHQ |
| Austin Ruse President C-Fam |
Kay R. Daly President Coalition for a Fair Judiciary |
| Phil Kerpen President American Commitment |
Michael J. Bowen CEO Coalition For a Strong America |
| Mark Fitzgibbons President of Corporate Affairs American Target Advertising, Inc. |
Tim Macy Chairman Gun Owners of America |
| Sandy Rios Director of Governmental Affairs American Family Association |
Lee Beaman CEO Beaman Automotive Group |
| Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D. Board Chair Institute on Religion and Democracy |
Tim LeFever Chairman Capitol Resource Institute |
| Donna Hearne CEO Constitutional Coalition |
Mike Spence Founding President Conservative Republicans of California |
| Phillip Leo Jauregui President Judicial Action Group |
Nancy Schulze Founder, Republican Congressional Wives Speakers & Women for Trump Bus |
| Susan A. Carleson Chairman/CEO American Civil Rights Union |
Anne Schlafly Cori Chairman Eagle Forum |
| Ralph A. Rebandt, II Senior Pastor, Chaplain Oakland Hills Community Church/Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police |
J. Christian Adams President Public Interest Legal Foundation |
| John McCardell President America’s Liberty Committee |
Michael R. Long State Chairman NYS Conservative Party |
| Bob Carlstrom President The Carlstrom Group, LLC |
Dan Weber Founder and President Association of Mature American Citizens |
| Sara M. Olson Senior Vice President Concerned Women for America |
Samuel B. Casey Managing Director & General Counsel Jubilee Campaign |
| Gerrye Johnston Founder/CEO Women for Democracy in America, Inc. |
Peter Bohlinger Managing Member Pacific Apartment Homes, LLC |
| Willes K. Lee President, National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
William W. Pascoe, III Managing Partner Antietam Communications |
| Roxanne Phillips Member, Executive Committee Council for National Policy |
Mario Navarro da Costa Director, Washington Bureau Tradition, Family, Property |
| Richard Wright Owner R & S LLC |
Penny Pullen President Life Advocacy Resource Project |
| Eunie Smith President Eagle Forum |
Nick Roos President Roos Wellness LLC |
| Joan Lindsey President Lindsey Communications |
Christopher Malagisi Editor in Chief Conservative Book Club |
| Robert K. Fischer Meeting Coordinator Conservatives of Faith |
Lisa Calvert Christian Speaker and Bible Teacher Rabon-Calvert Interests |
| Andresen Blom Executive Director Grassroot Hawaii Action |
John F. Tate President America’s Liberty PAC |
| Dean Nelson Chairman Frederick Douglass Foundation |
David Martin Health Care Entrepreneur Cleveland, Ohio |
| Randy Page Chief of Staff Bob Jones University |
Jack Park Conservative Activist and Donor |
| Quin Hillyer Veteran Conservative Columnist |
Becky Gerritson President Wetumpka TEA Party (AL) |
| Catharine Trauernicht Citizen Activist |
Ralph Schmidt Director God’s Embrace Ministries |
| Tim Daughtry Author Daughtry & Company |
Ed Martin President Phyllis Schlafly Eagles |
| The Honorable Gary L. Bauer President American Values |
Cathi Herrod President Center for Arizona Policy |
| Caren Cowan Executive Director New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association |
Peter J. Thomas Chairman The Conservative Caucus |
| C. Preston Noell III President Traditional, Family, Property, Inc. |
Caroline Lewis Owner Percipio Communications |
| Charlie Gerow CEO Quantum Communications |
Paavo Ensio Chairman Minerals Group |
| The Honorable George K. Rasley, Jr. Managing Editor ConservativeHQ.com |
Martha Boneta Executive Vice President Citizens for the Republic |
| Steve Berger Pastor Grace Chapel |
The Honorable Morton C. Blackwell Chairman The Weyrich Lunch |
| Gene Mills President Louisiana Family Forum |
Travis Korson Senior Fellow Frontiers of Freedom |
| Keet Lewis Co-Founder Lewis Group Intl. |
Philip Haney CEO Venatus Group, Inc. |
| Mat Staver, Esq. Founder and Chairman Liberty Counsel |
All organizations listed for IDENTIFICATION purposes only.