Don Wolfensberger at The Hill:
President Trump set two confirmation process records during the first 200 days of his second non-consecutive term. According to Chris Piper of Brookings, based on data compiled by his colleague Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, Trump submitted more executive and judicial nominations over that period (401) than any previous president.
The second record he set, though, was that he faced more confirmation delays than any of his predecessors. Piper offers several explanations for the current delays, most notably that Senate Democrats are slow-walking nominations because they are not satisfied with their quality. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attributes it to the nominees’ lack of experience, ethical conflicts of interest and perceived extreme views. Consequently, Senate Democrats are demanding full debates and recorded votes on nearly every nominee, both in committee and on the floor.
When Trump demanded that Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cancel the August recess and keep the Senate in session until all pending nominations were dealt with, Thune extended the session by one day only and was able to clear the docket of several of the longstanding and most controversial nominees.
It is doubtful that confirmations will pick up significantly in the fall, with critical budget-related deadlines once again pressing. The flurry of negative blue slips may still resemble record snowfalls by winter.