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The Washington Post, in collaboration with the Partnership for Public Service, has released data comparing first-year Senate confirmations for President Donald Trump with those of other recent US presidents.
The analysis shows Trump’s numbers falling behind those of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden — and even his own first term.
The Senate has confirmed only 86 of Trump’s nominees so far this year — despite the President having submitted 339 names to fill key roles in the administration.
That confirmation rate significantly lags behind the pace seen in previous presidential first years. According to the analysis, by the end of their respective first years, Bush had 403 confirmations, Obama had 383, Biden had 267, and Trump’s own first term saw 238.
The low confirmation count is not for lack of nominees. Of the 821 key roles being tracked — out of roughly 1,300 positions requiring Senate approval — 253 Trump nominees are still awaiting Senate action, while 306 positions currently have no nominee. An additional 182 posts are filled by holdovers or individuals serving in termed positions.
Each Senate-confirmed role requires multiple steps: nomination, committee referral, hearings, and a full Senate vote. In recent years, the process has grown slower, especially in politically divided chambers.
The overall number of confirmations so far places this year on track to be the slowest first-year confirmation cycle in recent presidential history. Whether the pace will accelerate in the months ahead remains uncertain.
Among the pending nominations is former CatholicVote President Brian Burch, selected to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. His nomination advanced through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April with a 12 – 10 vote but was delayed on May 13 when Senate Democrats blocked unanimous consent for a floor vote. No final vote has been scheduled.
