Senator J.D. Vance (R., Ohio), who has endorsed Donald Trump for president, announced Tuesday he will attempt to grind the Department of Justice to a halt by slowing down the Senate’s consideration of DOJ nominees.
The phenomenon of lone-wolf senators using the upper chamber’s rules to block a whole spate of nominees is growing. Any senator can object to fast-tracking Senate rules, requiring that two simple-majority votes be held for each person nominated. Typically, voice votes are held for batches of low-level appointees.
Separately, on Monday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced he would hold up Biden’s health-related nominees over prescription-drug prices.
According to Vance, Merrick Garland has used the DOJ for politics instead of law. “I think it’s time we stop whining about this problem and debating this problem and actually do something about it,” Vance explained in a video. “Let’s make this Department work a little more slowly.”
Until Merrick Garland stops using his agency to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents, I will hold all DoJ nominees. pic.twitter.com/UVRwi6Ue01
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 13, 2023
Trump was indicted last week on 37 criminal counts in special counsel Jack Smith’s classified-documents probe. The former president and Republican frontrunner was arraigned Tuesday, pleading not guilty to all the charges.
While some presidential candidates like Nikki Haley and Chris Christie have slammed Trump for the egregious behavior alleged in the indictment, most of the 2024 field have not. Republicans in Congress have also remained mum, instead drawing attention to what they perceive to be the weaponization of law enforcement.
To Vance, the indictment is part and parcel of the DOJ’s increased weaponization. “Merrick Garland’s Department harasses Christians for pro-life advocacy, but allows hardened criminals to walk our streets unpunished. This must stop, and I will do everything in my ability to ensure it does,” explained Vance in a statement.
“Starting today, I will hold all Department of Justice nominations. If Merrick Garland wants to use these officials to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents, we will grind his department to a halt,” he added.
Other senators have also begun blockades of nominees in recent months. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.) has slowed down military nominations considerably, holding up over 200 senior officials in key regions. Tuberville is attempting to strike a Pentagon abortion policy that allows service members to take leave and be reimbursed if they travel for an abortion in the post-Roe era.
Some Republicans, including Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), have explained they do not support Tuberville’s blockade.
The Alabama senator drew further ire Tuesday when he skipped a procedural vote on Jared Bernstein’s nomination to lead President Joe Biden’s council of economic advisors. Having secured the opposition of Senator Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.), Republicans wanted to force vice president Kamala Harris to break the tie, but were unable to since Tuberville was on his way to New Jersey for Trump’s post-arraignment speech.
Manchin, who is chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, has launched his own blockade of Biden’s EPA nominees over the agency’s proposed carbon limits for power plants.