Read, Watch or Listen

Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to change Senate rules this week to expedite the confirmation of President Trump's executive branch nominees. This follows months of Democratic delays and a breakdown in bipartisan negotiations. Republicans aim to group nominations for quicker votes, a move mirroring a similar Democratic proposal from two years ago. While the change is expected to apply to most executive branch nominees, excluding high-profile or controversial ones, Democrats strongly oppose it, fearing weakened checks and balances. The rule change needs a simple majority and could confirm over 100 pending nominations.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.