Senators vying to be GOP leader vow to quickly confirm Trump nominees

WASHINGTON — Senators vying to become the next leader of the Republican conference pledged on Sunday to quickly push through President-elect Donald Trump’s appointees after he demanded on social media that they do so.

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was the first to make such a vow in an attempt to curry favor with Trump. Scott quickly picked up the endorsement of one of the president-elect’s biggest backers, billionaire Elon Musk.

Not to be outdone, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, who is considered a front-runner in the race, released a statement saying that he, too, would push to swiftly staff Trump’s administration.

“One thing is clear: We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s Cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we’ve been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments,” Thune said.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas was not far behind.

“It is unacceptable for Senate Ds to blockade President @realDonaldTrump’s cabinet appointments,” he wrote on social media on Sunday. “If they do, we will stay in session, including weekends, until they relent. Additionally, the Constitution expressly confers the power on the President to make recess appointments.”

Cornyn’s staff pointed out that he had already been advocating for quick approval of Trump’s nominees.

The jockeying for the president-elect’s approval was the latest example of his unparalleled influence over Republican members of Congress.

Trump has not endorsed anyone in the race to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, but he has railed against Thune in the past over his refusal to go along with Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. He has also criticized Cornyn and Thune as “weak and ineffective.”

Senate Republicans are set to hold a secret-ballot election Wednesday to choose who will succeed McConnell as the majority leader when the party assumes control of the chamber in January.

Thune and Cornyn have been seen as front-runners. But Scott, who failed in a previous bid for leadership, has been pitching himself as the candidate most aligned with the right wing of Trump’s movement.

On Sunday, Trump told Republicans to quickly appoint officials to his administration and block Democrats from appointing any more judges during the Biden administration.

In a post on social media, he urged them to “agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner.”

During his first term, Trump struggled to fill positions quickly in part because of delay tactics that Senate Democrats employed.

Presidents have the constitutional authority to make recess appointments, but the power has historically been rarely used and at times caused controversy, including a legal fight that made its way to the Supreme Court.

Trump’s post suggested he would like to routinely use recess appointments as a way around Senate approval.

Scott endorsed Trump’s demand for a speedy process, writing on social media: “100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible.” His post prompted Musk’s endorsement.

Trump also demanded that “no Judges should be approved during this period of time.”

Democrats currently control the Senate by a single vote and are aiming to spend the months before Republicans take over the chamber by confirming as many of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees as possible.

Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., who caucuses with the Democrats, has pledged to withhold his support for any judicial nominee who does not have support from Republicans, though he has backed off at least once. Most judicial nominees do not prompt much controversy and receive votes from members of both parties.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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