ICYMI: Ricketts in Omaha World-Herald: Here’s How We’re Returning to Norms, Overcoming Democrats’ Obstruction

Omaha World-Herald

By U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts

September 14, 2025

https://omaha.com/opinion/column/article_02aea5a9-d62e-4447-8f01-4e06b02104d6.html

Nebraskans know that government should be effective and efficient. But in Washington, the gears are stuck. The Democrats are blockading the government. They are refusing to confirm nominees in a timely manner. Democrats are obstructing nominations just to score political points. They are risking Nebraskans’ safety. Without leadership, agencies underperform. Nebraskans won’t get the service they deserve. I’m fighting to make government work.

Historically, Democrats and Republicans have always cooperated to swiftly confirm a president’s nominees. Occasionally, high-profile or controversial nominees don’t make it through the expedited process. But the Senate has a tradition of quickly advancing most nominees.

Ninety percent of President Obama’s nominees were confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent. For President Biden, it was 57%. President Trump is the first president in history not to have a single nominee confirmed in this way.

During the Biden administration, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that it’s important to quickly confirm nominees. He said that regardless of the party in the White House, both sides have long agreed that a president deserves to have his or her administration in place, quickly. But Schumer’s Senate Minority doesn’t believe that anymore.

Senate Republicans have worked harder this year than any other Congress in a long time. We spent more hours in session than any Senate in 15 years. We have held the longest stretch of continuous session in over 15 years. We have held over 500 votes. We held the most roll call votes in the first six months of a year since 1989.

But due to Democrat obstruction, we’ve only been able to confirm 130 sub-Cabinet nominees.

Meanwhile, there are hundreds more waiting to be confirmed. That includes Lesley Woods Murphy, the nominee for U.S. Attorney for Nebraska. The U.S. Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement officer in Nebraska. Nominees overseeing trade, criminal justice, and health are also waiting for confirmation. These public servants make sure our crops can be sold in global markets, that criminals are punished, and that our kids are healthy.

The reason they haven’t been confirmed is simple. Senate Democrats are playing politics with the American people. They don’t think that Americans deserve a fully staffed government. That’s because they don’t agree with the party in the White House.

Schumer’s Democrats have held up every single one of President Trump’s sub-Cabinet nominees. They’ve forced the Senate to waste hundreds of legislative hours.

Currently, we are only allowed to vote on one nominee at a time. The entire Senate must take the floor and vote individually on each nominee. This process requires two roll call votes and two hours of debate in between.

Senate Democrats have said this is because they are concerned about the nominees’ qualifications. But for 75% of the nominees, Democrats said nothing about them during the time allowed for debate. The average time Democrats have spent talking about nominees on the floor is 2 minutes, 12 seconds.

That’s not oversight. That’s preventing the government from working.

Democrats know this is an issue. That’s why Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Angus King (I-ME) proposed a rule change in 2022 to streamline the confirmation process. Our proposal is more modest. It doesn’t require changing the Senate’s Standing Rules.

Unprecedented obstruction requires a change of precedent. That’s what Republicans are doing. It’s not a change in law. It’s a return to the norms of quickly confirming nominees.

In the days to come, we will allow nominees to be voted on in groups. These nominees have already been vetted. They have already been approved by committees, often by large bipartisan majorities. Some were so uncontroversial they were approved by Republicans and Democrats in committee by voice votes. These people should be confirmed quickly.

This update to confirmations will not apply to Cabinet nominees. It will not apply to judges. It follows the process we already use for high-profile military appointments. It will make government more efficient and effective.Our Constitution is very clear. The Senate’s role is to advise and consent on nominees. I take this role seriously. It is not to obstruct for political reasons. We are updating Senate procedure so that we can restore tradition. We are returning to a Senate that works for the American people.