President Trump on Sunday blasted Democrats for obstructing his nominations and urged the Senate to move faster to confirm his nominees.
“The Democrats continue to Obstruct the confirmation of hundreds of good and talented people who are needed to run our government…A record in U.S. history. State Department, Ambassadors and many others are being slow walked. Senate must approve NOW!” Trump tweeted on Sunday morning.
Trump has criticized Democrats before for slow-walking his nominees.
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On Wednesday he accused Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) of endangering national security by blocking some of his nominees for ambassador positions.
However, Democrats argue that a number of Trump’s nominees have withdrawn or faced intense scrutiny for conflicts of interest or a lack of qualifications for their nominated positions.
At the top of the president’s stagnated nominees is Richard Grenell, a former U.S. spokesman to the United Nations that Trump nominated to be ambassador to Germany.
“Many of the agencies just have so many people out there, including diplomats from, as an example, Germany. Major countries — we have diplomats, they wait in a line because the Democrats don’t want to approve them, because they want to obstruct,” Trump said Wednesday at the Latino Coalition Legislative Summit.
“And that’s not good,” he continued. “It’s never been like this, ever. They’ve never held them this long. Republicans have never done this to this extent with the Democrats. And Schumer and the Democrats ought to get going because it’s the wrong thing for our country. It’s a very terrible thing.”
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that 43 percent of Trump’s nominations are still awaiting confirmation in the Senate. She also said there have been 102 fewer confirmations so far than the next closest administration.