We’re quickly approaching the fourth weekend of 2025, and the Senate is already running behind schedule. This could trigger weekend Senate sessions as Senate Republicans try to accelerate the process on some of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
Senators failed to reach an agreement to expedite the confirmation of CIA Director nominee John Ratcliffe. As a result, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed “cloture” Tuesday to break filibusters on three nominees, starting with Ratcliffe.
Cloture is a parliamentary means to break a filibuster, and it must “ripen” for a day before the Senate can consider it. The Senate could vote to break the filibuster on Thursday, just an hour after the Senate meets.
If the Senate breaks the filibuster, a vote to confirm Ratcliffe as CIA Director could come just two hours later, requiring only 51 votes. Next in the queue is the nomination of Pete Hegseth, the president’s pick for Secretary of Defense, which could require a tiebreaking vote by Vice President JD Vance.
Senate Republicans are considering weekend sessions to accelerate the confirmation process, with the possibility of late-night votes and early Saturday morning confirmation votes. Hegseth’s confirmation vote could come in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
The confirmation process could extend into Sunday, with the Senate potentially voting to confirm Kristi Noem, the president’s pick for Secretary of Homeland Security, as early as Sunday evening. The process would then move on to the nomination of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, which could take longer to confirm.
Senate Minority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cautioned that the process could accelerate, with a possible bipartisan agreement. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is eager to demonstrate his commitment to supporting the president’s nominees, while Senate Democrats hope to make a statement by blocking Trump’s picks.
