President Donald Trump early Wednesday accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of “extortion” to the tune of $2 billion dollars in exchange for Democrats to approve hundreds of Trump administration appointments.
“Politically embattled Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, wants the Republicans to pay, as EXTORTION, TWO BILLION DOLLARS in order for the Radical Left Democrats to approve the hundreds of Trump Appointments who have been waiting for months, and are raring’ to go,” he posted on his Truth Social page.”
“This has never happened before,” he added. “There has never, in U.S. history, been such a delay. THEY ARE EXTORTIONISTS! Republicans must create legislation in order to get out of the grasp of these Country hating THUGS. Move quickly!!! MAGA”
Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats have blocked or delayed confirmation votes on over 140 of Trump’s nominees, many of whom had bipartisan committee approval, by forcing procedural votes on all on almost all of Trump’s picks.
This means the Senate must debate and approve the voting rules before each confirmation, which last weekend forced Senate Majority Leader John Thune to keep the Senate in session to try to push through nominees.
Some of the appointees awaiting confirmation include 30 ambassadors, including Mike Waltz, who is awaiting a vote as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Greece.
Democrats have agreed to allow batches of nominees to move forward in exchange for billions of dollars in federal funding, which Trump has denounced as “political extortion.”
This past weekend, Democrats asked for billions in government funds to be released, with Schumer negotiating with Republican leadership for $5 billion for the National Institutes of Health, $300 million for the World Food Program, $1 billion for the Global Fund, $50 million to fight HIV in developing countries, and about $140 million for the United Nations Children’s Fund, reports CBS News.
Meanwhile, Republicans are pointing out that key roles in the State Department, Defense, and Energy are vacant, with more than 300 nomination holds remaining in place for the positions.
The standoff has left GOP leaders, including Thune, to say the confirmation process is broken and that rules changes may be necessary, including invoking the “nuclear option” in September to bring quicker confirmations.
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