Senate Is Tying Itself in Knots Over Presidential Nominees

Just when you thought DC gridlock couldn’t get worse: Senators are increasingly placing “holds” — in which a single member can effectively block the confirmation of a presidential nominee indefinitely, often anonymously — leaving critical leadership positions vacant and tying up the “world’s greatest deliberative body” with endless procedural votes. A new analysis by my organization found that the number of Senate cloture votes to end debate on blocked nominations — a time-consuming process that typically requires 50 senators — has skyrocketed in recent years.