President-elect Donald Trump’s hope for smooth confirmation processes for judges and appointments in his new administration will come under fire by Senate Democrats who are “plotting extraordinary measures” to stop his agenda, but some are quietly expressing concerns that a top Democrat isn’t up for the job.
According to new reporting in Axios, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other Democrats are privately angsting over whether Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) “has the fire to fight Trump nominees as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.”
The longtime Illinois Democrat, who is also the Senate Democratic whip, is 79, and Trump is 78. Incoming Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is 91. The publication referenced how the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) faced Democratic criticism for not mounting a more forceful fight against Trump’s Supreme Court nominees.
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Other options Schumer has for blocking Trump’s appointees include "jamming up GOP attempts to adjourn the chamber for Trump to make recess appointments,” Axios reported, citing sources. But, the report noted, the process can only be delayed “as long as Senate Democrats have the energy to keep it up.”
Age aside, the report said Durbin has publicly pondered his future in the Senate, and that he’s up for reelection in 2026. Schumer will "have to decide fast if his No. 2 is up for the job," according to the report.
As for Schumer, the Democratic leader isn’t expected to face any challenges to his position. Axios reported that Schumer has told those around him that his party’s election defeat was a result of “a problem at the top of the ticket,” a conclusion he reportedly reached by the Senate Democrats’ out-performing Vice President Kamala Harris in every swing state.
That leaves on the table the prospect of Senate Democrats retaking control of the upper chamber's majority in 2026, according to Axios, a point echoed by pollster Nate Silver on Tuesday.
