Senators are starting to return to their home states today after Senator Thune and Senator Schumer failed to reach an agreement in order to speed up the confirmation process for some of President Trump’s nominees. Republican senators had demanded that the president be allowed to use his recess appointment power, though lawmakers are blocking that, as well. 

Senate Democrats have been delaying the confirmation process as much as possible in a protest against the president and his administration. Even non-controversial nominees for lower-level positions in departments were subjected to a drawn-out process as Democrats refused to acquiesce to what are known as “unanimous consent” requests to move nominees along more quickly. 

Mr. Schumer on Saturday was trying to use his leverage to win some assurances from the Trump administration. He demanded that some funds for foreign aid and public health be released, though Mr. Trump made clear in a Truth Social post that he would not be making a deal with the New York senator. 

“Senator Cryin’ Chuck Schumer is demanding over One Billion Dollars in order to approve a small number of our highly qualified nominees, who should right now be helping to run our Country. This demand is egregious and unprecedented, and would be embarrassing to the Republican Party if it were accepted,” Mr. Trump wrote on Saturday. 

“Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL!” Mr. Trump wrote. “Do not accept the offer, go home and explain to your constituents what bad people the Democrats are, and what a great job the Republicans are doing, and have done, for our Country.”

In the end, senators finished up their confirmation votes late on Saturday night and recessed for the remainder of August. They are due to return to work the day after Labor Day. 

Prior to the battle over these nominees, some conservatives — including the president himself — said that Mr. Trump should be allowed to make recess appointments while the Senate and House are on their annual summer break. Mr. Trump has around 130 nominees currently awaiting final Senate confirmation. 

“We’ve continued to have delay after delay,” Senator Lee said in a video posted to X on Saturday afternoon. He and a small band of other Senate conservatives had been pushing for a proper Senate adjournment so the president could make his appointments. 

“We’d rather get these people confirmed, and the Senate Republicans are ready, willing, and able to stay and get that done. If they don’t want to, though, we’ve got another way around this. I’ve drafted an adjournment resolution — one that would allow President Trump to invoke his recess appointment powers,” the Utah senator said. 

Mr. Thune, however, announced on Saturday that they would not be allowing the president to do so. 

It was clear that the recess appointment power was not going to be something that Republican senators wanted to hand to the president. In order for Mr. Trump to be able to make those kinds of appointments, the Senate would have had to take a vote on an adjournment resolution, which would then also have to be passed by the House, which left town for their recess more than one week ago. 

Some Republican senators said they did not want Mr. Trump making any appointments without their consent. Had he been allowed to make recess appointments, those individuals would have served until the end of this Congress, which will be on January 3, 2027. 

“That’s bypassing one of the unique responsibilities of the U.S. Senate,” Senator Tillis told the Sun this week of the possibility for recess appointments. Mr. Tillis has so far blocked one important nominee the president put forward — Ed Martin for United States attorney for the District of Columbia. 

“Quite honestly, as I’ve said before, I’m not really impressed with some of the advice the president’s getting from people,” Mr. Tillis said. “The last thing I want is a recess appointment for somebody like Ed Martin into a role for the remainder of his tenure.”