U.S. Senate and Federal Appointments

Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader John Thune, have confirmed 417 of President Donald Trump’s nominees in 2025, including a single 53–43 vote on Thursday that advanced 97 picks and capped a year of record‑pace confirmations after the GOP used the 'nuclear option' in September to lower the threshold for sub‑Cabinet posts. Party leaders say the total surpasses the 365 nominees confirmed for Joe Biden in his first year, leaves only 15 Trump nominees still pending, and fills key roles such as a new inspector general at the Labor Department and two members of the National Labor Relations Board amid ongoing partisan fights over obstruction and Senate procedure.