Senators hoping for an August respite after several weeks of late-night votes may not be in luck, with President Trump asking Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) Saturday to cancel the chamber’s traditional late-summer recess in order to confirm his executive and judicial appointments.
“Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We need them badly!!!”
Senators are currently scheduled to confirm six Trump appointments on Monday and advance his pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Agency. Right now, members are set to take the month of August off.
The threat to cancel the recess could push senators to avoid stonewalling appointments. Trump’s most high-stakes nominees include Emil Bove, a lawyer for the Justice Department, to be a judge on a federal appeals court. Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host, is also up to be the top federal prosecutor in D.C.
Bove has garnered particular opposition from Democrats over a whistleblower complaint alleging that he said the Trump administration should consider telling courts “f— you” if they issued orders blocking migrant deportations. Bove has denied that he told lawyers in the Justice Department to violate a court order.
Trump’s more recent nominations include two picks for the National Labor Relations Board, which enforces union regulations. The board has not been able to function since January, when Trump fired the remaining Democratic member, leaving it without a quorum.
