GOP Passes More Nominations
Senate Republicans moved decisively on Thursday, approving a major slate of executive branch nominees as Congress prepares to leave Washington for the holiday recess.
In a 53–43 vote, the GOP confirmed 97 lower-level nominees selected by President Donald Trump to fill key vacancies across the federal government. The confirmations include assistant and under secretaries, U.S. attorneys, ambassadors, and oversight officials across multiple agencies.
This marks the third large batch of nominees advanced since Senate Republicans changed chamber rules earlier this fall, allowing nominees to be approved in groups rather than one at a time.
With Thursday’s vote, the total number of Trump administration nominees confirmed by the Senate now stands at 417. That pace exceeds confirmation totals during the first year of President Trump’s original term and outpaces the early confirmation record under former President Joe Biden.
Republican leaders say the move is about restoring basic government function.
“Every president needs a team in place to carry out the work the American people elected him to do,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on the Senate floor earlier in the day.
Among the most notable confirmations is former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), who will now serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor. That role is responsible for oversight, accountability, and preventing waste and abuse within the agency.
Also confirmed were Scott Mayer and James Murphy, both appointed to the National Labor Relations Board, along with Tammy Bruce, a former State Department spokesperson who will now serve as deputy U.S. representative to the United Nations.
The Senate action comes just one day after lawmakers confirmed Jared Isaacman to lead NASA with bipartisan support, signaling continued momentum for staffing key federal leadership roles.
Thursday’s vote follows the Senate’s second nominee package, approved more than two months ago, which included 107 confirmations. The first group—47 nominees—was advanced in mid-September.
That initial round came after Republicans invoked the so-called “nuclear option,” ending weeks of internal debate and breaking from past practice.
Previously, nominees were forced through the Senate one by one, a process Democrats routinely used to delay confirmations by requiring full debate time for each candidate. The new rules allow nominees to be confirmed en bloc, significantly speeding up the process.
Republicans argue the change was necessary to prevent obstruction and ensure the executive branch can function effectively.
As the year comes to a close, GOP leaders say the latest confirmations strengthen President Trump’s ability to govern and ensure federal agencies are fully staffed heading into the new year.
