Senate Republicans moved closer to a historic slate of confirmations on Wednesday after clearing another procedural hurdle toward approving nearly 100 nominees put forward by President Donald Trump.
As lawmakers race to complete business ahead of the upcoming holiday recess, the GOP advanced a group of 97 nominees in a 53–47 party-line vote. The action positions Republicans one step away from final confirmation of the nominees.
A final confirmation vote is expected Thursday, unless Senate Democrats agree to accelerate the process through a time-limiting agreement, Fox News reported.
If the upcoming vote is successful, as expected, Senate Republicans will have confirmed more of Trump’s nominees than any other president in their first year of office.
This current package of nominees would bring Trump’s total confirmations to 415 during the first year of his second term, surpassing the 323 confirmations he achieved in his first term. It also exceeds former President Joe Biden’s total of 365 confirmations by the end of his first year in office.
Since the Senate altered its rules for the confirmation process in September, Senate Republicans have quickly confirmed hundreds of Trump’s nominees. This change aimed to overcome Senate Democrats’ resistance to advancing even the most junior positions during the Trump administration, Fox noted.
The GOP triggered the “nuclear option” for the fourth time in Senate history, which lowered the threshold for confirming certain appointments to a simple majority instead of the usual 60 votes required to overcome a filibuster.
This change has enabled Republicans to swiftly advance through sub-cabinet level positions and set the stage for what is anticipated to be a historic moment for Trump, Fox reported.
“Among the list of nominees are former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor and two picks for the National Labor Relations Board, James Murphy and Scott Mayer, along with several others in nearly every federal agency,” the outlet reported.
Lawmakers also confirmed President Trump’s nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, as well as his choice of Douglas Weaver for a position on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Isaacman’s confirmation received broad support, passing the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 67-30. However, this was the Senate’s second opportunity to consider Isaacman’s appointment as head of NASA.
Fox noted that Trump had nominated him to run the nation’s space agency in December 2024, but he was pulled earlier this year after a “thorough review of prior associations.”
But Isaacman was later nominated again in November for the same post, and Trump touted his “passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy.”
Last week, Senate Republicans pushed through the first procedural hurdle Wednesday as they moved to confirm the dozens of nominees.
If Republicans complete the process, they will have confirmed more than 400 of Trump’s nominees during the first year of his second term. That total would place Trump well ahead of former President Joe Biden, who had 350 nominees confirmed at the same point in his presidency.
The nominees include former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito of New York for inspector general at the Department of Labor and two selections for the National Labor Relations Board, James Murphy and Scott Mayer, as well as others across nearly every federal agency.
Murphy and Mayer were included in the package after Trump fired National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox, a move the Supreme Court upheld earlier this year.
Senate Republicans changed the confirmation rules to break through Democrats’ months-long blockade of Trump’s nominees, limiting the new process to sub Cabinet level positions that can be approved with a simple majority.
