We are fast approaching the fourth weekend of 2025.
AND senate already running behind.
That could trigger Senate hearings over the weekend as Senate Republicans try to speed up the process against some presidents Donald Trump Candidates for the cabinet.
Senators failed to hammer out a timing deal to speed up the confirmation of CIA director nominee John Ratcliffe.
So here are some terms from the Senate vocabulary for you.
Cloture, filibuster and ripen.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed a “jail” motion Tuesday to oust three candidates, starting with Ratcliffe. “Invocation of cloture” is a parliamentary device to break a filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., filed a cloture motion Tuesday to strike down attacks on three of Trump’s nominees — starting with former DNI John Ratcliffe. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Flibuster is in the eye of the beholder. A filibuster could be a way to hold something up with a long speech. It could be a way to just object and derail the Senate. Or, it could be implied that senators who plan to exercise either option. So the Senate Majority Leader gets the joke. He knows he has to file cloture to end the filibuster.
The Democrats seem to be entrenched in Ratcliffe. Thus, Thune took the procedural step of filing a shutdown petition to overcome disagreement with the nomination of Ratcliffe, as well as Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary nominee Kristi Noem.
As a rule, after a document is submitted, it must “ripen” for one day before the Senate can consider it. Thune filed for bankruptcy in Ratcliffe Tuesday. Therefore, Wednesday serves as an intermediate day. The Senate could vote on breaking the filibuster one hour after the Senate meets at 10 a.m. Thursday. According to the rule, voting on closure can start at 11 am. It will only take 51 years to break the filibuster.
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The director of the CIA is not recognized as a full-level cabinet position. So “post cloture” time is limited to just two hours – not the full 30 hours of discussion allowed for all cabinet-level appointments.
So if the Senate breaks the filibuster on Thursday, a vote to confirm Ratcliffe as CIA director could come just two hours later. Only 51 votes are needed for confirmation.
Next in line is the nomination of Hegseth. And the process starts all over again.
Pete Hegseth, the president’s nominee for secretary of defense, may require the deciding vote of Vice President JD Vance to be confirmed. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Fox has learned that it is possible that a vote on defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth could come late Friday night or early Saturday morning, unless there is a time agreement to expedite the debate on the nominees.
So let’s say the Senate resolves the filibuster on Ratcliffe by late morning. His nomination has been discussed for several hours. That means the Senate could vote by 3 or 4 p.m. ET to confirm Ratcliffe.
With Ratcliffe confirmed, Hegseth is next. The Senate could then vote to break the filibuster on Hegseth on Thursday afternoon. If the Senate breaks the filibuster, that would then trigger a debate of up to 30 hours. If all time is used, final confirmation on Hegseth could come late Friday night or early Saturday morning.
Regardless, here’s where things get interesting:
Fox was told it was possible the vote to confirm Hegseth could be tied. It’s about math. Republicans have 53 members. Fox was told to keep an eye on the Sens. Mitch McConnellR-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Everyone played their cards close to the vest as far as opinions of Hegseth were concerned. If they vote no, Vice President Vance could come to the Capitol to break the tie and confirm Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.
No vice president had ever broken a deadlock to confirm a cabinet secretary until former Vice President Mike Pence did to confirm Betsy DeVos as secretary of education on Feb. 7, 2017. Pence also broke a deadlock to confirm former Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. , as the 2018 Ambassador for Religious Freedom. He also broke a tie to confirm Russ Vought, the current budget director nominee, as the 2018 Deputy Budget Director.
Next up after Hegseth is a procedural vote on Gov. Kristi Noem, RS.D., Trump’s pick for secretary of homeland security. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
After the Senate rejects Hegseth’s nomination, a procedural vote for Noem follows. The Senate should stop arguing over Noem’s nomination. If that vote comes late Friday/early Saturday, the Senate could vote to confirm Noem at noon Sunday if they burn out all the time. If the vote to break the filibuster on Noem happens at a “normal” time on Saturday (say 10 or 11 a.m.), the Senate doesn’t vote to confirm Noem until Sunday night or Monday if all the time is needed.
Late on Thursday, Thune also submitted conclusions on the appointment of Finance Minister Scott Bessent. So it’s over when Noem is confirmed. If all time is used, Bessent will not be confirmed until early next week.
And so it goes.
“Do you all have your sleeping bags and cots?” asked Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Everyone agrees to the confusion.
“Right now, there seems to be every indication that a vote will be taken by Saturday. We’ll see if it goes to Sunday or Monday with no days in between. But right now, I’m planning to be there for the weekend to vote,” said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, DN. M.
These endorsements are Thune’s “first rodeo” as majority leader – and his first real chance to fight on behalf of the party’s interests. (Getty Images)
“I’m happy to be here all weekend if that’s what it takes,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.
On that note, Senate Minority Rep. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., warned that things sometimes get too fast in the Senate. Especially when there is chatter about late night votes and weekend meetings.
“I think I’ve seen this game before,” Durbin said Tuesday. “I think it ends with an adjustment and a bipartisan agreement. So I wouldn’t jump to conclusions right now.”
DEM WHO CALLED TRUMP ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO DEMOCRACY’ NOW BLOCKS HIS NOMINEE
However, two factors are at work:
Democrats want to highlight their reservations about Trump’s nominees — especially those they strongly disagree with or believe are unqualified. So it is politically important for them to come out and show their base that they oppose the president and his cabinet.
By the same token, this is Thune’s first rodeo as Majority Leader. He must establish his honest faith as a Leader. Politically, Thune must show that he is fighting for Mr Trump and his nominees – and is willing to keep the Senate in session around the clock. In other words, there’s a new sheriff in town.
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So unless something changes, everyone is invited for some long weekends and even late night sessions. The Senate is likely to confirm President Trump’s nominees.
But it might take a while.
