Dems plot to make Ted Cruz 'feel political pain' for obstruction of Biden nominees: reporter

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) appears to have run out of patience with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Sources tell Washington Post reporter Seung Min Kim that Schumer "has warned members they will have to begin confirming non-controversial" nominees such as ambassadors by working on nights and weekends.

The goal, writes Kim, is to make Cruz "feel some political pain (or pain from angry colleagues) over his holds," which have so far completely clogged up Biden's ambassadorship nominations.

"To date, only four of Biden's choices to be a U.S. ambassador to a foreign government have been approved by the Senate — three of them just on Tuesday," Kim reported on Wednesday. "That means Biden is lagging considerably behind his immediate predecessor, Donald Trump, who at this point in his presidency had 22 such U.S. ambassadors confirmed, 17 of them by voice vote, according to data compiled by Senate Democratic leadership aides."

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) told Kim that negotiating with Cruz was like "negotiating with a terrorist," and said that "what he's asking for is to control American foreign policy."