The Senate’s Plans to Get Out of Town Are Currently in ‘the Ditch’

As the calendar turns from July to August, senators were hoping they’d be on their way back to their home states for a monthlong recess. To hear Senate Majority Leader John Thune tell it, that isn’t happening.

“It looked like it was trending in the right direction,” Thune said of negotiations to get senators out of town. “And then, as you know, the wheels come off.”

When a reporter asked where the negotiations were headed, Thune had a straightforward answer: “The ditch.”

“We’ll try and get it back on the highway here soon enough,” he added.

Republicans and Democrats are trying to get on the same page about a number of outstanding items before leaving Washington. First, there is a backlog of nominations from President Donald Trump, both to fill administration posts and for judgeships. And then there are negotiations over appropriations bills, which is a less pressing issue to get senators out of town now, but could have more dire consequences at the end of September when government funding runs out.

Neither issue is exactly going well, and Thune seems intent on keeping the Senate in session until there is some resolution.

At this point, it’s highly likely the Senate works on Friday — and could be in on Saturday, Sunday or even next week.

Senators are set to start August recess next week, which would be their first extended break after a grueling seven months of session. But at Trump’s urging, Thune wants a deal to advance a slate of nominations before the recess.

Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have been in talks to reach a compromise. Republicans are threatening that, if Democrats don’t comply, members could be working through recess. They’ve also suggested changing the rules for confirming nominations down the line.

“I’m for doing whatever we need to do to break the logjam,” Sen. John Cornyn told NOTUS on Thursday. “If we can come up with some negotiated outcome, I’m OK with that. But if we can’t, then I think we need to change the Senate rules to break these kinds of mindless blockades.”

Earlier in the week, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin panned the idea of Republicans changing the rules for their own favor.

“We have gone through these nominations nonstop since the beginning of the year, and we have followed the rules of the Senate in doing it,” Durbin told reporters. “I know they would like to return to those golden years when there were groups of nominees considered, but we weren’t given that courtesy by them when they were in the same position we are.”

“So we’re kind of stuck where we are,” Durbin added.

Republicans argue Democrats have been particularly obstructionist when it comes to civilian nominees, which in previous terms were frequently confirmed by unanimous consent. But this term, Democrats have filibustered all but one of Trump’s nominees (Secretary of State Marco Rubio).

Democrats have been looking for — and using — many of the legislative tools at their disposal to delay Trump’s second term agenda. That has included things like slowing the passage of Trump’s policy ambitions through lengthy vote-a-ramas and insisting on multiple votes for nominees that are destined for confirmation.

“We’re going to continue to work through the process,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso told reporters Thursday. “We have more today, more tomorrow. We’re planning to continue to work through the weekend. This is an unprecedented blockade”

“This can’t go on,” Barrasso said.