Rookie Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., might be the unsung hero of the early Trump administration. Moving the Senate with unaccustomed speed and keeping his often disparate Republican caucus largely united should earn acclaim throughout the Republican Party for his leadership ability.
At this writing, the Senate has confirmed 19 Trump Cabinet and sub-Cabinet nominations and, through a cumulative 1,197 Republican confirmation votes. In only seven of these 1,197 instances did a Republican fail to support the appointees, and the Nay votes came from only three GOP senators: former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. (3 times), Susan Collins, R-Maine (2 times), and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska (2 times). The remaining 50 Republicans voted unanimously for all of the nominations, though in a few instances certain senators were absent.
Included within this group are the four nominations that were expected to be the most tenuous and challenging to confirm. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and FBI Director Kash Patel all cleared the confirmation process and gave Thune a 1.000 batting average for so far shepherding all nominees through what is often an adverse and complicated process.
Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
