Senate negotiations over President Trump’s pending nominees collapsed just before lawmakers departed for their recess, despite earlier momentum toward confirming up to sixty bipartisan candidates. Trump abruptly ended the talks via a Truth Social post, accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of demanding over a billion dollars in exchange for advancing nominees, calling it “political extortion,” and instructing Republicans to reject the deal and go home. Only seven nominees were confirmed before adjournment.

Leading up to that breakdown, Senate Majority Whip John Thune and other Republican negotiators had exchanged multiple offers with Democrats, with both sides expressing hope of sealing a deal. Democrats, however, insisted on the unfreezing of billions in NIH and foreign aid funding and safeguards against future budget reversals as part of any agreement. Republicans accused Democrats of inflating their demands over time, and when Trump intervened publicly, the bipartisan progress dissolved almost instantly.

With talks at an impasse, Republicans are openly weighing Senate rule changes to accelerate confirmations when Congress returns in September, possibly employing the “nuclear option” to lower procedural barriers. Schumer dismissed such efforts as misguided and cautioned that unilateral rule changes would weaken the Senate’s role and hamper future bipartisan cooperation.