The consideration process for presidential nominees "is a different matter" than the legislative filibuster, Mitch McConnell said, lambasting recent Democratic slowdowns. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo McConnell floats rules change to limit debate on nominations McConnell's protest rings hollow for Democrats who keenly recall his obstruction of former President Barack Obama's nominees.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested on Tuesday that he would support a rules change limiting Democrats' ability to delay confirmation of President Donald Trump's nominees.

Although they cannot filibuster Trump's nominees because of previous rules changes, Democrats have tied up the Senate floor with lengthy confirmation debates — from Cabinet nominees to a series of less-senior names whose approvals were delayed during the tense battle over Obamacare repeal.


McConnell has committed to maintaining the Senate minority's power to filibuster legislation, but on Tuesday he left the door open to backing further limits on Democratic slowdowns of the confirmation process.

The consideration process for presidential nominees "is a different matter" than the legislative filibuster, McConnell said, lambasting recent Democratic slowdowns as "just simply ridiculous."

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McConnell's protest rings hollow for Democrats who keenly recall his obstruction of former President Barack Obama's nominees, including Judge Merrick Garland's failure to get a hearing after Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court.

"Sen. McConnell does not come to the court with clean hands on these issues," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters when asked about the Kentucky Republican's suggestion of a future rules change. "He delayed and blocked so many of Obama's nominees."

Schumer, like many of his fellow Democrats, also noted that Trump already has gotten more judges confirmed to the federal bench than Obama did at the same point in his presidency, despite the GOP's push for a faster pace of confirmations.

McConnell cited a proposal crafted by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) that would limit the minority's power to run out the clock after debate has been formally curtailed. Lankford began floating the idea in April as Democrats forced a procedural showdown over the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch — who occupies the seat Garland had been nominated to fill.

The Senate currently has 30 hours of floor time to discuss a nominee after cloture is invoked to limit debate, and Lankford's plan would limit that to 8 hours.

McConnell said on Tuesday that "there may be a possibility to adjust" the amount of time Democrats have to prolong floor debate on nominees after cloture is invoked "in a way more consistent with the Senate, and the administration getting its positions filled in a timely fashion."

McConnell suggested that Lankford is seeking Democratic buy-in for the rules change, and Lankford said through a spokesman: “Conversations with my colleagues about my proposal have been positive. The American people expect us to get more work done."

But another member of GOP leadership said that bipartisanship shouldn't be a requirement in order to limit the minority's ability to force lengthy confirmation debates.

If Democrats don't scale back their delays, "I think we should do whatever is necessary, either with cooperation or without, to stop that procedure from being used to keep us from the other work we need to do," said Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, No. 5 in Republican leadership. "It's obvious that's what they're doing."