Trump Halts Senate Nominee Deal, Sparks Partisan Clash Before Recess
After intense negotiations over President Donald Trump’s pending nominations, Senate talks broke down Saturday night, with lawmakers quickly departing Washington for recess. The collapse came despite near-agreement on confirming up to 60 nominees who had bipartisan committee support.
President Trump abruptly ended the talks with a fiery Truth Social post, accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of demanding over a billion dollars in exchange for advancing a small group of nominees. Calling it “political extortion,” Trump urged Senate Republicans to reject the deal and head home, declaring Democrats “bad people” and closing with “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Senators only managed to confirm seven nominees before adjourning. Schumer, however, claimed a political win for Democrats, arguing Trump’s sudden exit undermined bipartisan progress. Holding up a blown-up print of Trump’s post, Schumer accused the president of rage-quitting the talks and failing to lead.
Before Trump’s intervention, optimism had been growing. Senate Majority Whip John Thune confirmed that multiple offers had been exchanged and that both sides had moments of hope for a deal. Democrats had requested the unfreezing of billions in NIH and foreign aid funds and assurances against future budget clawbacks, in return for approving noncontroversial nominees.
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin accused Schumer of sabotaging talks by continually increasing demands. He said Republicans weren’t surprised by Trump’s directive, as the White House had been deeply engaged throughout the process.
Looking ahead, Mullin said Republicans would push a rule change on nominee confirmations when Congress returns in September. Thune added that despite evolving offers, a final agreement was never locked in.
Democrats stood by their offer, blaming Republicans for inflating their nominee list with partisan picks. Schumer warned that unilateral rule changes would be a mistake and urged the president to engage more constructively in future talks.
