Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) is taking a page out of Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-AL) playbook Monday by promising to block all diplomatic posts until funding and staff for the United States Agency for International Development are restored.
At the weekend, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency entered USAID’s headquarters, got access to classified information and closed the building. Employees were told to stay at home on Monday.
Tuberville blocked all military promotions for a little under a year to protest the military paying for soldiers who need abortions but can't get them where they're stationed.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Schatz will vote against all Trump appointees. Most low-level appointees get unanimous approval so that Congress does not get clogged deliberately over hundreds of nominations.
Schatz's move would force Senate Majority Leader John Thune to dedicate floor time to confirmation hearings which would greatly slow down business.
On Monday, Trump ally Elon Musk, the unelected and unappointed leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, repeatedly attacked the USAID on X, saying it's "a criminal organization. Time for it to die."
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USAID is the main U.S. agency that assists countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms, as defined by USA.gov.
“I will oppose unanimous consent,” Schatz told The Journal. “I will vote no. I will do maximal delays until this is resolved.”
Trump announced Monday that the USAID would be merged into the State Department.
