The Hitchhiker’s Guide to a probable weekend session to confirm Trump nominees

We’re rapidly approaching the 4th play of 2025.

And the Senate is already moving behind.

This could trigger play Senate sessions arsenic Senate Republicans effort to accelerate the process connected immoderate of President Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees.

Senators failed to forge a clip statement to expedite the confirmation of CIA Director nominee John Ratcliffe.

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So, present are immoderate Senate vocabulary presumption for you.

Cloture, filibuster and ripen.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed "cloture" Tuesday to interruption filibusters connected 3 nominees, starting with Ratcliffe. "Invoking cloture" is the parliamentary means to interruption a filibuster.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed "cloture" Tuesday to interruption filibusters connected 3 Trump nominees – starting with erstwhile DNI John Ratcliffe. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A filibuster is successful the eyes of the beholder. A filibuster could beryllium a mode to clasp thing up via a lengthy speech. It could beryllium a mode to conscionable entity and sidetrack the Senate’s course. Or, it could beryllium implied that senators who program to deploy either option. Thus, the Senate Majority Leader gets the joke. He knows helium indispensable "file cloture" to terminate the "filibuster."

Democrats look dug successful connected Ratcliffe. So Thune took the procedural measurement of filing cloture petitions to flooded a filibuster connected the the Ratcliffe nomination, but besides for Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary nominee Kristi Noem.

By rule, erstwhile cloture is filed, it indispensable "ripen" for a time earlier the Senate whitethorn see it. Thune filed cloture connected Ratcliffe Tuesday. Therefore Wednesday serves arsenic the intervening day. The Senate could ballot to interruption the filibuster 1 hr aft the Senate meets connected Thursday astatine 10 americium et. By rule, the cloture ballot tin statesman astatine 11 americium et. That volition lone request 51 yeas to interruption the filibuster.

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CIA Director is not recognized arsenic a full-level furniture position. So the "post cloture" clip is constricted to lone 2 hours – not the afloat 30 hours of statement allowed for each furniture level slots.

Thus, if the Senate breaks the filibuster connected Thursday, a ballot to corroborate Ratcliffe arsenic CIA Director could travel conscionable 2 hours later. Confirmation lone needs 51 votes.

Next successful the queue is the Hegseth nomination. And the process starts each implicit again.

Pete Hegseth, the president's nominee for Secretary of Defense, whitethorn necessitate a tiebreaking ballot by Vice President JD Vance successful bid to beryllium confirmed. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fox has learned that unless determination is simply a clip statement to accelerate statement connected nominees, it is imaginable that the confirmation ballot connected Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth could travel precocious Friday nighttime oregon successful the wee hours of Saturday morning.

So let’s accidental the Senate clears the filibuster connected Ratcliffe by precocious morning. It debates his information for a mates of hours. That means the Senate could ballot by 3 oregon 4 p.m. ET to corroborate Ratcliffe.

Once Ratcliffe is confirmed, Hegseth is next. The Senate could past ballot to interruption the filibuster connected Hegseth connected Thursday afternoon. If the Senate breaks the filibuster, that would past trigger up to 30 hours of debate. If each clip is used, last confirmation connected Hegseth could travel precocious Friday nighttime oregon aboriginal Saturday morning.

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Regardless, this is wherever things get interesting:

Fox is told it’s imaginable determination could beryllium a necktie connected the confirmation ballot for Hegseth. It’s astir the math. Republicans person 53 members. Fox is told to support an oculus connected Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. All person played their cards adjacent to the vest arsenic to their opinions connected Hegseth. If they ballot nay, Vice President Vance could request to travel to the Capitol to interruption the necktie and corroborate Hegseth arsenic Defense Secretary.

No vice president had ever breached a necktie to corroborate a furniture caput until erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence did truthful to corroborate Betsy DeVos arsenic Education Secretary connected February 7, 2017. Pence besides broke ties to corroborate erstwhile Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., arsenic ambassador for spiritual state successful 2018. He besides broke a necktie to corroborate existent Budget Director nominee Russ Vought arsenic Deputy Budget Director successful 2018.

Next successful enactment aft Hegseth comes a procedural ballot connected Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., Trump's prime for Secretary of Homeland Security. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Once the Senate dispenses with the Hegseth nomination, it’s connected to a procedural ballot for Noem. The Senate would request to interruption a filibuster connected Noem’s nomination. If that ballot comes precocious Friday/early Saturday, the Senate could ballot to corroborate Noem midday Sunday if they pain each time. If the ballot to interruption the filibuster connected Noem comes astatine a "normal" hr Saturday (say 10 oregon 11 americium et), the Senate doesn’t ballot to corroborate Noem until Sunday nighttime oregon Monday if each clip is required.

Thune besides filed cloture connected the information of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent precocious Thursday. So that’s up erstwhile Noem is confirmed. If each clip is used, Bessent isn’t confirmed until aboriginal adjacent week.

And truthful it goes.

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"Do you each person your sleeping bags and cots?" asked Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

Everyone is settling successful for a slog.

"Right present it appears there's each denotation that votes volition beryllium taking spot done Saturday. We'll spot if that goes into Sunday oregon Monday without immoderate days successful between. But close now, I'm readying connected being determination for the play for votes," said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M.

These confirmations are Thune's "first rodeo" arsenic bulk person – and his archetypal existent accidental to spell to bat connected behalf of his party's interests. (Getty Images)

"I'm blessed to beryllium present each weekend, if that's what it takes," said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.

That said, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cautioned that things sometimes accelerate successful the Senate. Especially erstwhile there’s chatter of late-night votes and play sessions.

"I deliberation I've seen this crippled before," said Durbin Tuesday. "I deliberation it ends with an accommodation and a bipartisan agreement. So I wouldn't leap excessively rapidly present to scope a conclusion."

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That said, determination are 2 factors afoot:

Democrats privation to marque a constituent astir their reservations Trump nominees – particularly those with whom they vehemently disagree oregon judge are unqualified. So politically, it’s important that they spell to the mat and amusement their basal they’re lasting up to the President and his cabinet.

By the aforesaid token, this is Thune’s archetypal rodeo arsenic Majority Leader. He needs to found his bona fides arsenic Leader. Politically, Thune indispensable show he’s warring for Mr. Trump and his nominees – and consenting to support the Senate successful league astir the clock. In different words, there’s a caller sheriff successful town.

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So, unless thing changes, everyone is dialed successful for immoderate lengthy play and adjacent late-night sessions. It’s apt the Senate volition corroborate President Trump’s nominees.

But it mightiness conscionable instrumentality a while.