Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Monday said he was prepared to change the chamber’s rules to expedite the confirmation process, decrying Democrats’ “historic obstruction” in blocking President Trump’s nominees. “Democrats have destroyed Senate precedent — and we’re going to fix it,” he said on the floor, teeing up a rule change that can be approved with a simple majority, known as the “nuclear option.” The rule change would allow the Senate to confirm sub-Cabinet executive branch nom

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) warned Republicans Monday against unilaterally changing the chamber’s rules to make it easier to confirm President Trump’s nominees, saying they “will come to regret” the move. “What will stop Donald Trump from nominating even worse individuals than we’ve seen to date, knowing this chamber will rubber stamp anything he wishes?” he said on the floor. “I say to my Republican colleagues, think carefully, before taking this step. If you go nuclear, it’s go