Senate confirms 48 Trump nominees after rule change

The U.S. Senate on a partisan 51-47 vote Thursday approved a group of 48 of President Donald Trump’s nominees to sub-Cabinet and ambassador roles. The blanket approval came after Republican lawmakers changed the threshold for batch approvals from a 60-vote minimum to a simple majority.

Among the approvals were Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former California prosecutor and ex-fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., who will serve as U.S. ambassador to Greece. Ted Garrish will serve as assistant secretary of nuclear power, after having served as assistant secretary in the Energy Department’s International Affairs office during Trump’s first term. Leslie Beyer, former CEO of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council, was confirmed as assistant secretary for land and minerals management.

Jonathan Morrison, who served as chief counsel at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during the first Trump administration, will now serve as head of the department. The upper chamber also confirmed other Department of Transportation leaders: Sean McMaster as the administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, and Paul Roberti as administrator of Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Why was the rule change necessary? GOP lawmakers pushed for the change to streamline government appointments, saying that Democratic politicians were intentionally stonewalling Trump nominees. Republican senators refused to let political games stop the administration from delivering for Americans, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., wrote Thursday evening.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., James Lankford, R-Okla., and Katie Britt, R.-Ala., also released statements celebrating the appointments and vowing to continue the mass approvals until all positions are filled. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., claimed in a Thursday afternoon post on X that Republicans had set a dangerous precedent and given away the Senate’s authority regarding administrative advice and consent.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report for more background on the Senate rule change.