GOP senators have now triggered the “nuclear option” three times (and counting) in the last eight years. The consequences are likely to matter.
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-go-nuclear-help-trump-nominees-invite-democratic-backlash-rcna230778
Senate GOP leaders have complained bitterly for months that Democrats have used unprecedented tactics to delay confirmation votes for many of the president’s nominees, including picks for lower-level offices. Those Republican complaints are rooted in fact, and Democratic leaders have largely conceded the point, arguing that Trump is a uniquely radical president; that his nominees tend to be uniquely unqualified; and so these picks require unique scrutiny, regardless of the traditional process.
On Thursday, the Senate GOP majority took a dramatic step to overhaul how the institution functions. NBC News reported:
Republicans triggered the ‘nuclear option’ to change the rules of the Senate on a party-line basis Thursday, a move that will allow them to speed up confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominees for key executive branch positions. The vote was 53-45 to establish a new rule that allows the Senate to confirm an unlimited number of nominees en bloc, rather than process each one individually.
Ordinarily, changing the rules of the Senate involves a long and laborious process that requires bipartisan support.
But the “nuclear option” expedites matters, as one party uses its majority to overrule the chair, set a new precedent and effectively establish a new rule.
Going forward, senators can now vote to confirm nominees (including sub-Cabinet picks and ambassadors, but not judicial nominations) as a group, which will naturally expedite the overall process. NBC News’ report added,
“Republicans say they’ll allow their own senators to object to individual nominees in any given block, but the rule will strip away the power of the minority party to do the same thing.”.....
Which leads to the other angle worth keeping in mind: The Senate has become slow, stagnant, ineffective and sclerotic. Significant reforms are, by most measures, absolutely necessary.
Rewriting institutional rules is profoundly difficult in the chamber, but the more both parties see value in going “nuclear” and making changes quickly, the easier the path for reforms that would make the Senate a better, more efficient body.
The Democrats may eliminate the filibuster entirely when they take power.
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