The Senate negotiations on President Donald Trump’s nominees were tense, with Republicans and Democrats pointing the finger at each other for the deal’s demise. Trump accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of demanding over one billion dollars to approve a small number of highly qualified nominees, accusing him of political extortion. Instead of finding a pathway to vote on as many as 60 of the president’s nominees, lawmakers rapid-fire voted on seven before leaving Washington until September.
Senate Democrats wanted the White House to unfreeze billions in National Institute of Health and foreign aid funding, in exchange for greenlighting several of Trump’s non-controversial nominees. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that there were “lots of offers” made between him and Schumer over the course of negotiations.
Senate Democrats countered that their offer never changed, and Republicans kept increasing the number of nominees they wanted across the line and attempted to include more controversial, partisan picks. Schumer wouldn’t reveal the details of his demands but charged that any changes to Senate rules would be a “huge mistake” and urged Trump to work with Senate Democrats moving forward, particularly as Congress hurtles toward yet another deadline to fund the government in September.
