Democratic Senator Says He Will Block Trump Nominees Until USAID Is Back

[demmiblue]

WASHINGTON—Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii) said he would place a “blanket hold” on all of President Trump’s State Department nominees until his administration’s attack on the leading foreign-assistance agency ends, a move that threatens to stall Trump’s ability to get his foreign-policy team in place.

Schatz’s threat came as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency aims to close the U.S. Agency for International Development; the agency’s existence as an independent government organization is codified in federal law. Over the weekend, DOGE staffers forced their way into USAID’s headquarters in downtown Washington, gaining access to classified information and closing the building to employees on Monday. Around 60 senior-level staff were already placed on administrative leave.

Schatz said he would block any of Trump’s diplomatic confirmations until USAID is again allowed to operate normally and the administration ceases its “authoritarian behavior.” Such a hold would halt the chamber’s ability to move bills quickly, and require Senate Majority Leader John Thune to use precious floor time to ram the president’s nominees through the confirmation process.

“I will oppose unanimous consent. I will vote no. I will do maximal delays until this is resolved,” he told The Wall Street Journal in an interview.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democratic-senator-says-he-will-block-trump-nominees-until-usaid-is-back/ar-AA1ylb38