WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, called Tuesday for the cancellation of the Senate’s August recess in order to move 136 nominees who are awaiting confirmation by the full chamber.
“With Senate Democrats relentlessly obstructing and stalling every single routine vote, we must show resolve by staying in session to push through these essential nominees and America First priorities,” Lummis said in a statement following President Donald Trump’s request for the recess cancelation.
The 136 nominees would fill judiciary posts, ambassadorships and undersecretary jobs, among others. They have all been cleared by committees and now await floor votes.
Lummis spokesman Joe Jackson confirmed Tuesday the nominees include former Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik to head up the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He cleared committee by a 10-9 vote in April.
Lummis is a member of the committee that approved him, Senate Environment & Public Works.
Nearly 100 So Far
The Senate, with a 53-47 Republican edge, has confirmed nearly 100 Trump nominees since the start of this congressional term in January, beginning with top-level Cabinet secretaries and other high-profile positions such as FBI Director Kash Patel.
Democrats cannot block the nominees, but they have used the filibuster to draw out the process on all of them except for Marco Rubio, who was confirmed as secretary of state in a unanimous vote.
The office of U.S. Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming provided Cowboy State Daily with a transcript of comments he made to reporters Tuesday regarding the August recess.
“The president wants these people in place. I want them in place. And that may have an impact on the timing of the August recess,” Barrasso said.
Filibustering On Steroids
Overall, the confirmation process is “very fast-paced compared to Trump's first term, and we're doing very well there, but the Democrats are just filibustering every one of these nominees,” Barrasso said.
“Many of these positions in the past have always gone by voice vote or unanimous consent, but they've been so obstructive that it's forcing us to do things we would rather do in a bipartisan way,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Senate Republican Leader John Thune of South Dakota did not reply to an email seeking comment.
No Replacement At BLM For Sgamma
In addition to the 136 nominees awaiting floor consideration, others are in various stages of committee approval.
And there are some jobs for which there are no nominees. These include the director of the Bureau of Land Management.
Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Denver-based oil industry lobby group Western Energy Alliance, was the nominee but withdrew in April.
She suddenly dropped out amid revelations that she criticized the president on social media over the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Barrasso spokeswoman Laura Mengelkamp told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday she had no update on the BLM vacancy. Barrasso sits on the committee that would weigh the nominee — Senate Energy and Natural Resources.
The House was poised Tuesday to leave for the August recess a week early, as Democrats continue to force votes on measures to make the Department of Justice release files in the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia scandal.
