Steve Cortes, Founder and President of the League of American Workers, encouraged U.S. Senator Mike Rounds and Senator John Thune to vote to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees. Cortes gave his statement to Rushmore State News.
According to the New York Post, as of July 10, 2025, the U.S. Senate has confirmed 90 of President Donald Trump’s nominees for key government positions, while 260 nominees remain pending confirmation. This slow pace is attributed to various factors, including a reduced number of judicial vacancies and increased partisan scrutiny. Whitney Hermandorfer’s nomination to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals marked the first judicial confirmation of Trump’s second term, underscoring a sluggish confirmation process compared to previous administrations. By this point in their respective first terms, Presidents Trump and Biden had secured three and fourteen judicial confirmations, respectively.
The Partnership for Public Service reported that President Trump has the authority to fill approximately 4,000 politically appointed positions within the executive branch and independent agencies, with over 1,300 requiring Senate confirmation. The significant number of unfilled positions hampers the administration’s ability to implement its policy agenda effectively. The Partnership for Public Service tracks these appointments to provide transparency and accountability in the confirmation process.
According to Fulcrum, the average duration for U.S. Senate confirmations of presidential nominees has increased substantially over decades. As of November 11, 2024, it took an average of 160.5 days for President Trump’s nominees to be confirmed compared to 192 days for President Biden’s nominees. This trend reflects a broader pattern of prolonged confirmation processes that can delay key policies’ implementation and affect government agencies’ functioning.
Cortes is also known as a founder and president of the League of American Workers, a political advocacy group promoting patriotic populism focused on national sovereignty, decentralization of power, and populist economics. He has been a prominent media figure since 2007 with appearances on CNBC, Fox News, and CNN and served as a senior advisor and spokesman for Donald Trump’s campaigns in both 2016 and 2020.
