Congressional experts said that Senator John Thune’s piecemeal changes have dealt a significant blow to the minority party’s ability to force bipartisan consensus.
Senate Republicans used what is known as the nuclear option to break a Democratic blockade of President Trump’s nominees, weakening Congress’s vetting role.
Senator John Thune, the majority leader, began the process on Monday by introducing 48 of President Trump’s nominees together to allow them to be confirmed as a group.
Republicans said the maneuver to change the Senate’s rules, the latest step that would weaken the filibuster, was necessary to overcome Democratic obstruction of President Trump’s nominees.
If successful, Republicans’ maneuver will effectively whittle down the ability of the minority to register any opposition to executive branch nominees below the cabinet level.
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