The fourth weekend of 2025 is quickly approaching.
And the Senate is already at a disadvantage.
That could trigger a weekend Senate session, as Senate Republicans seek to speed up proceedings on some of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
Senators were unable to reach a time agreement to expedite the confirmation of CIA Director nominee John Ratcliffe.
Sen. Thune suggests staying until weekend to confirm Trump nominee after Democratic vote postponed: ‘It shouldn’t be difficult’
So here are some Senate vocabulary words.
Cloture, filibuster, and ripening.
Senate Minority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Tuesday filed a motion for “closure” to overturn the filibuster against Ratcliffe and three other candidates. “Invoking cloture” is Congress’s tool for breaking the filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S., on Tuesday filed a motion for “shutdown” to overturn the filibuster against three Trump nominees, including former Rep. John Ratcliffe. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The filibuster is in the eye of the beholder. A filibuster can be a way to block something through a long speech. It could simply be a way to veer the Senate by opposing it. Or it could signal that senators plan to introduce one or the other option. So the Senate Majority Leader gets the joke. He knows that to end the “filibuster” he must make a “motion to close.”
Democrats appear to be pursuing Ratcliffe hard. So Thune also filed closure petitions against Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary nominee Kristi Noem to overcome a filibuster on Ratcliffe’s nomination.
By rules, once a cloture is filed, it must “ripen” for one day before the Senate can consider it. Tune filed a closure notice with Ratcliffe Tuesday. Therefore, Wednesday is the interim day. The Senate could vote to overturn the filibuster an hour after the Senate meets Thursday at 10 a.m. (10 a.m. Japan time). According to the rules, closed voting can begin after 11 a.m. It only takes 51 years to break the filibuster.
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The CIA Director is not recognized as a full-level Cabinet position. “Post-closure” time is therefore limited to just two hours, which cannot fully meet the 30 hours of discussion allowed for all ministerial-level slots.
So if the Senate breaks the filibuster on Thursday, it could vote to confirm Ratcliffe as CIA director in just two hours. Approval requires only 51 votes.
Next in the queue is Hegseth’s nomination. And the process starts all over again.
Confirmation of the president’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, may require a tie-breaking vote from Vice President J.D. Vance. (Kenny Holston/New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Fox has learned that a confirmation vote on Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth could be held late Friday night or early Saturday morning unless there is a time agreement to speed up discussions on the nominee. .
So let’s say the Senate lifts the filibuster against Ratcliffe by late in the morning. His nomination will be debated for several hours. That means the Senate could vote to confirm Ratcliffe by 3 or 4 p.m. ET.
Once Ratcliffe is confirmed, Hegseth is next. The Senate could then vote to overturn the filibuster against Hegseth on Thursday afternoon. If the Senate breaks the filibuster, up to 30 hours of debate will begin. If all hours are used, final confirmation on Hegseth could be late Friday night or early Saturday morning.
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Anyway, here’s where it gets interesting.
Mr. Fox is said to be likely to tie for confirmation votes with Mr. Hegseth. It’s about mathematics. There are 53 Republican members. Mr. Fox has been directed to monitor Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Almost everyone played their cards when it came to their opinions on Hegseth. If he votes no, Vice President Vance may have to come to Capitol Hill to break the deadlock and confirm Hegseth as defense secretary.
No vice president had broken ties and confirmed a Cabinet member until February 7, 2017, when former Vice President Mike Pence confirmed Betsy DeVos as secretary of education. Pence also broke ties and endorsed former Sen. Sam Brownback, R-S.C. Additionally, in 2018, the current budget director candidate, Russ Vought, was approved as deputy budget director.
Next up for Hegseth will be a procedural vote on Gov. Kristi Noem, R.S.D., President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
If the Senate cancels Hegseth’s nomination, it will move to a procedural vote on Noem. The Senate would have to break the filibuster on Noem’s nomination. If the vote occurs late Friday or early Saturday, the Senate could vote to confirm Nomu at noon Sunday. If the vote to break the filibuster against Noem takes place at “normal” hours on Saturday (e.g. 10 or 11 a.m. ET), the Senate will vote against Noem until Sunday night or Monday if all time is needed. do not vote to approve.
Mr. Thune also filed a closing motion late Thursday regarding the nomination of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. So once Noem is confirmed, it’s done. If all the time is used, Vessent won’t be finalized until early next week.
And it will be.
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“Do you guys have sleeping bags or cots?” asked Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
Everyone is prepared and working hard.
“Right now, there seems to be every indication that voting will take place until Saturday. We’ll see if it’s Sunday or Monday with no days in between. But for now, I’m hoping that voting will take place over the weekend. I’m going to go there to help,” said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D).
These endorsements are Thune’s “first rodeo” as majority leader and his first real opportunity to speak on behalf of the party’s interests. (Getty Images)
“I would be happy to be here all weekend if needed,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo..
That said, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) warned that things could accelerate in the Senate. Especially if there’s chatter about late-night voting or weekend sessions.
“I feel like I’ve seen this game before,” Durbin said Tuesday. “I think it’s going to end with a deal and a bipartisan agreement. So I’m not going to rush to any conclusions right now.”
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That said, there are two factors at play:
Democrats hope to assert their reservations about President Trump’s nominees, especially those they strongly disagree with or believe are unqualified. So politically, it’s important for them to step up to the mat and show that they’re willing to stand up to the president and his cabinet.
Likewise, this is Tune’s first rodeo as majority leader. He needs to establish his legitimacy as a leader. Politically, Mr. Thune must show that he is fighting for Mr. Trump and his nominees and that he is willing to keep the Senate open 24 hours a day. That means there’s a new sheriff in town.
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So unless something changes, everyone will be attending long weekends and late night sessions. The Senate is likely to approve President Trump’s nominee.
However, it may take some time.
Chad Pergrum currently serves as the Senior Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based in Washington, DC.
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