BURSTPresident-elect Trump warned Senate Republicans Tuesday against cutting a deal with Democrats to fast-track a final batch of President Biden’s nominees through the Senate before adjourning later this week.
“To all Senate Republicans: NO DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS TO FAST TRACK NOMINATIONS AT THE END OF THIS CONGRESS,” Trump posted 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,” Trump added.
In past years, Senate Democrats and Republicans have approved blocs of left-over nominees before wrapping up the end of a legislative session, but the practice has fallen off recently as these deals are coming under greater scrutiny.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) cut a deal with Republicans before Thanksgiving to fast-track the approval of nine federal district court judges. But in a concession to Republicans, he agreed to shelve four of Biden’s circuit-court nominees, who Democrats later said likely wouldn’t have had enough votes to win confirmation.
The Senate so far has confirmed 233 of Biden’s judicial nominees, the same number of such nominees it confirmed during Trump’s first term.
Both Biden and Trump saw many more of their judicial picks confirmed than former President Obama, who got 170 of his judicial nominees through the Senate.