Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accompanied by from left, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. John Hoeven, R-N. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Sen. And it has only gotten worse for President Joe Biden. Their predecessors, Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, both saw about two-thirds of their nominees confirmed through Oct.
But the slow-walking shows no signs of letting up as senators place holds on a wide swath of nominees to gain leverage and attract public attention. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has placed holds on several State and Treasury nominees over a pipeline that will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany. He wants the Biden administration to implement sanctions to stop it. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. The backup burns through time on the Senate calendar and forces Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to make tough choices about what will see a vote.
Holds tell only part of the story, though. The number of positions requiring Senate confirmation keeps growing β from fewer than when Dwight Eisenhower was president to more than 1, now. He said delays in filling key government posts make it harder to respond to problems such as the pandemic, the economic fallout that came from it, climate change and foreign threats such as those from China, Russia and North Korea. His organization recommends that Congress reduce the number of positions requiring Senate confirmation and give nominees a quicker vote.
Senators seem unlikely to relent. The Biden administration imposed sanctions on Russian companies and ships for their work on the project, but opted not to punish the German company overseeing it.
Without the holds, the nominees could be confirmed through a voice vote, a process taking only minutes that can be used so long as no senators object.
