Nebraska Panhandle News

U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts has criticized Senate Democrats for delaying the confirmation of federal nominees, arguing that this is affecting the efficiency of government agencies and putting public safety at risk. In an opinion piece published in the Omaha World-Herald, Ricketts stated that Democrats are "refusing to confirm nominees in a timely manner" and accused them of obstructing nominations "just to score political points."

Ricketts noted that, historically, both parties have worked together to quickly confirm most presidential nominees. He pointed out that under President Obama, 90 percent of nominees were confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent, while under President Biden this figure dropped to 57 percent. According to Ricketts, President Trump did not have any nominees confirmed in this way.

He cited comments from Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) during the Biden administration: "It’s important to quickly confirm nominees. He said that regardless of the party in the White House, both sides have long agreed that a president deserves to have his or her administration in place, quickly." However, Ricketts claimed that current Democratic leadership does not hold this view.

Ricketts described recent Senate activity as unusually busy: "Senate Republicans have worked harder this year than any other Congress in a long time. We spent more hours in session than any Senate in 15 years. We have held the longest stretch of continuous session in over 15 years. We have held over 500 votes. We held the most roll call votes in the first six months of a year since 1989." Despite this workload, he said only 130 sub-Cabinet nominees had been confirmed due to Democratic obstruction.

There are still hundreds of nominees awaiting confirmation—including Lesley Woods Murphy for U.S. Attorney for Nebraska—as well as officials overseeing trade, criminal justice, and health policy. These positions play key roles such as enforcing federal law and ensuring agricultural exports.

Ricketts argued that Democrats' stated concerns about nominee qualifications do not match their actions: "For 75% of the nominees, Democrats said nothing about them during the time allowed for debate. The average time Democrats have spent talking about nominees on the floor is 2 minutes, 12 seconds."

To address these delays, Ricketts highlighted previous bipartisan efforts to streamline confirmations: "That’s why Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Angus King (I-ME) proposed a rule change in 2022 to streamline the confirmation process." He said Republicans now plan a more modest update—allowing groups of already vetted and committee-approved sub-Cabinet nominees to be voted on together—similar to how high-profile military appointments are handled.

"This update to confirmations will not apply to Cabinet nominees. It will not apply to judges," Ricketts explained. "It follows the process we already use for high-profile military appointments. It will make government more efficient and effective."

He concluded: "Our Constitution is very clear. The Senate’s role is to advise and consent on nominees...We are updating Senate procedure so that we can restore tradition. We are returning to a Senate that works for the American people."

More details can be found at https://omaha.com/opinion/column/article_02aea5a9-d62e-4447-8f01-4e06b02104d6.html.