Senator Schmitt Blasts Democrat Obstruction: “They Have Turned the Cooling Saucer of the Senate into a Deep Freezer”

WASHINGTON -Today, U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) blasted Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats for their unprecedented obstruction of President Donald Trump's nominees and backed Majority Leader Thune's proposed rule change to expedite the process by voting for blocks of nominees at the same time.

Watch the full floor speech HERE

Read Senator Schmitt's remarks, as prepared for delivery:

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the unprecedented obstructionism of my Democrat colleagues.

Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of our Constitution requires that every Officer of the United States receive the Advice and Consent of the Senate.

With every power created in our Constitution comes a duty.

And Democrats have abandoned their duty to offer advice and negotiate in good faith with Republicans and the Trump Administration.

The Great Arsonist of the Senate would rather burn the whole house down than work for the American people.

But it didn't have to be this way.

TDS, or Trump Derangement Syndrome, is burning down the Senate. And we have it by the numbers.

Look back to the wisdom of our Founders-men like Madison and Hamilton-who envisioned a Senate that balanced power without descending into paralysis, ensuring the executive could govern as the people intended.

Yet today, in defiance of that vision, Democrat obstruction leaves President Trump on pace to have just 426 nominees confirmed by the end of this 119th Congress-the lowest in history, less than half of Biden's 817 or even President Trump's first term's 715.

By the end of his term, we're projecting a mere 872 confirmations-the first time any President has fallen below 1,000, compared to Biden's 1,175, President Trump's first term's 1,233, or Obama's staggering 1,489.

This isn't just slow; it's sabotage, echoing the darkest days when partisan feuds threatened the young Republic.

Democrats have required cloture 360% more in President Trump's second term's first 200 days than in his first-137 nominees subjected to it, nearly double Biden's 71 and far beyond Obama's paltry 9.

In the past, over 50 percent of every President's nominees were confirmed via voice vote or unanimous consent-until this year, where President Trump has received zero point zero. Blutarsky.

Under Obama, in his first 200 days, 292 nominees passed by voice vote alone; President Trump has just 135 confirmed, all via grueling roll calls.

The average time from nomination to confirmation? A glacial 94 days for President Trump now-nearly double his first term's 54, worse than Biden's 70, and a far cry from Reagan's efficient 25.

We've shattered records with the most Senate session days and roll call votes in modern history-126 days in the first 200, more than Biden's 121-yet the backlog swells: 139 nominees on the Executive Calendar, 153 in committee, 786 not yet received.

This obstruction is antithetical to our Constitution, leaving the administration nearly a quarter of the way through the term with less than 12 percent of positions filled, undermining our national security, economic vitality, and the general welfare enshrined in the Preamble.

Democrats have turned the cooling saucer of the Senate into a deep freezer.

But a great thaw is coming.

As stewards of this constitutional legacy, passed down from the battlefields of Yorktown to the halls of Philadelphia, we cannot let TDS torch the traditions that built America.

The Democrats, led by the Great Arsonist, have shattered precedents, from the bipartisan cooperation under Bush and Clinton-where 98 percent sailed through-to the erosion that began with their own nuclear option in 2013.

This is a problem 25 years in the making.

After the 2000 elections, Democrats met at a private retreat to strategize how to maximally obstruct the Republicans.

A couple of leftist Harvard Law Professors concocted an idea: filibuster the executive calendar.

The Great Arsonist wasn't done there. Just yesterday, he blew up our entire system of voice voting in the Senate.

If push came to shove, he would blow up the whole chamber to slow down subcabinet nominations and U.S. Marshalls.

These decisions from the Minority Leader have led us down a long road to today.

We are putting forth an idea proposed by our Democrat colleagues just last Congress: Streamline the process by voting on blocks of nominees at the same time.

In their words: "The slowdown of the confirmation process that we've seen in the Senate under the last several administrations is preventing key officials from taking up their positions.

"This commonsense reform will help improve efficiency and make sure we're able to fill positions that are vital to our national security, economic success, and more."

But we will restore it. We will honor the past by fighting for the future.

We needed a rule change to save this body-and today, we charge forward to confirm these vital nominees and uphold the people's mandate.

This change is much needed and is a long time coming.

I applaud the Majority Leader's backing of President Trump's Agenda, President Trump's nominees, and making our government work for the people.

America demands no less.

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