Latest news with #Grassley
The Hill
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump tirade against Grassley irritates Republican senators
Republican senators were appalled by President Trump's rough treatment of 91-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), the Senate's most senior Republican, on social media and are pushing back on Trump's attempts to squeeze the senator into abolishing an arcane procedure known as the Senate blue slip. GOP senators were not pleased that Trump piled so much pressure on Grassley, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to get rid of a long-established Senate tradition. Trump piled on by reposting on Truth Social posts accusing Grassley of being a 'RINO' and 'sneaky' and standing in the way of Trump's agenda. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who has separately felt the wrath of Trump for his opposition to the tax and spending megabill earlier this month, said Trump appears to be getting bad advice from his staff. 'I think it was a bad — No. 1, Chuck is beloved in our conference. No. 2, the blue-slip policy helps the president. He's got staff giving him bad advice,' Tillis said. He argued that keeping in place the tradition of allowing senators to use documents known as blue slips to block district-court level judicial nominees and U.S. attorney nominees has preserved an important element of bipartisanship in the Senate. Tillis said getting rid of blue slips would make it even tougher to work with Democrats as Republicans attempt to move legislation that needs 60 votes to pass the Senate, such as the annual spending bills. 'I think the president's staff have a bad habit of advising him that was a good idea,' Tillis said of Trump's penchant of taking public shots at Republican allies in Congress when they disagree with him on an issue. Trump blasted Tillis last month on Truth Social after the North Carolina senator announced he would vote against the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act because of more than $900 billion in cuts to Medicaid. Shortly after the interaction, Tillis said he would not be running for reelection next year. Tillis said Trump's staff either failed to intervene before the president targeted Grassley or 'somebody told him, 'You ought to put pressure on him and go on Truth Social.'' 'The staff should have intervened and said, 'This is not a good idea,'' he said. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who has bucked the Trump administration on a number of votes, called the president's shots at Grassley, who has been in the Senate since 1981, 'unnecessary.' 'I talked to Sen. Grassley — I think Sen. Grassley has long, long, long been a great team player, and I think he was just a little bit offended at the tone, and that's not right,' she said, adding: 'I'm a defender of the blue slip.' A Republican senator who requested anonymity said Trump's targeting of Grassley on Truth Social crossed the line. 'There's a lot of negative reaction by me and my colleagues to the specific treatment of Sen. Grassley,' the lawmaker said, adding that Trump's social media posts were discussed by colleagues on the Senate floor during votes. 'There's a lot of desire to see Chuck Grassley treated correctly. It was really the talk of the floor last night,' the source said. Grassley has been a loyal Trump ally, steering some of his most controversial nominees through the Senate confirmation process this year, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and, most recently, Emil Bove, Trump's former defense attorney, whom senators confirmed Tuesday to serve on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Yet that didn't stop Trump from putting heavy pressure on Grassley on Tuesday night to 'step up' and get rid of the blue slip documents senators can use to block nominees to serve as federal district judges and U.S. attorneys in their home states. Trump declared that he got Grassley reelected to the Senate 'when he was down by a lot' and demanded he get rid of the long-established Senate tradition 'with a mere flick of a pen.' The president then reposted one commenter on Truth Social who urged followers to 'light up Grassley's office' and asked, 'What is wrong with these Republicans, they must hate America too.' Trump reposted another post on Truth Social that called Grassley a 'RINO,' the acronym for Republican in name only, 'sneaky' and 'good at paying the good guy instead of being the good guy.' Grassley said Wednesday that he was 'surprised' and 'insulted' by Trump's social media posts. 'Last night, I was surprised to see President Trump on Truth Social go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the blue slip,' Grassley said in a statement to open a Judiciary Committee hearing on nominations. 'I was offended by what the president said, and I'm disappointed it would result in personal insults,' he said. Grassley's public remarks are notable since GOP senators have rarely aired their irritations with the president's pressure campaigns in public. Trump also went after Grassley's age and tenure in the Senate, reposting an item on Truth Social calling for term limits and to 'dethrone the kings,' which noted Grassley has served in Congress for more than 50 years. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, defended the tradition of blue slips and pleaded with Trump to 'back off' his pressure campaign on Grassley. 'I do not agree with the president on that,' he said of Trump's call to get rid of blue slips. 'I understand his frustration. President Biden had the same frustration,' he added, noting Republicans used blue slips to block Biden nominees to key judicial and law enforcement positions in their home states. Kennedy argued that 'for district court judges, senators are much better able … to pick a lawyer from their community that satisfies what I call 'community standards.'' 'With respect, Mr. President, pretty please, with sugar on top, back off this, because I don't think the Senate's going to go along, and I think it's just a needless fight,' he said. Even Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), one of Trump's staunchest allies in the Senate, pushed back on Trump's effort to eliminate blue slips. 'It happens on both sides,' he said. 'We were able to block some bad judges last time with a blue slip.' Tuberville said he knows Trump 'gets frustrated with it' but asserted 'it is what it is — it's why the Senate works.' Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) backed up Grassley. 'I think the blue slip process is something that's been used for a long time by both sides, and neither side has violated its usage in the past,' he said. 'I don't think there's any strong interest in changing that up here.' Grassley, when he was Judiciary Committee chair in 2017, decided not to honor Democrats' blue slip objections to nominees at the appellate court level. Republicans argued that appellate courts often cover several states, so it did not make sense to give one state's senators power over the nominees. GOP senators are more open to changing the rules for the floor consideration of lower-level nominees already approved by Senate committees amid efforts by Democrats to delay those nominees by demanding time-consuming procedural votes. Frustration over those delays is building, and Republican senators discussed various rules changes at a lunch meeting Tuesday. One proposal is to eliminate the need to vote on cloture to end debate before scheduling a final vote on a nominee. Another proposal is to further condense the two hours of debate time that must elapse between a cloture vote and a final vote. A third proposal is to group nominees in packages and vote on them as a bloc. 'At some point, we may need to look at doing things different on nominees generally if Democrats continue this path of obstruction that they're on right now,' Thune said. He noted Democrats have required procedural votes on more than 100 consecutive nominees considered on the floor and haven't allowed a single civilian Trump nominee to pass by unanimous consent or voice vote, calling it a 'historic level of obstruction.'
Politico
a day ago
- Politics
- Politico
Hawley defends himself against pile-on from Trump over stock trading bill
Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said Wednesday morning he was 'offended' by President Donald Trump's attempts to pressure him to ram through more nominees coming before his panel without deference to lawmakers whose states would be affected. 'Last night, I was surprised to see President Trump on Truth Social go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the 'blue slip,'' the Iowa Republican said at the opening of a committee business meeting. 'I was offended by what the President said, and I'm disappointed that it would result in personal insult.' Trump has been using social media to go after Grassley to end the so-called blue slip policy for district court judges and U.S. attorney nominees — a practice that allows home state senators to object to the personnel picks for their state and in turn gives the minority party some power over the process. Grassley gave up the practice for circuit court judges during Trump's first term but has not indicated a willingness to jettison it for other positions. The president began his campaign Tuesday evening in an initial demand that Grassley to have the 'courage' to end the blue slip practice 'IMMEDIATELY.' Early Wednesday, Trump was re-posting Truth Social posts that backed up his position, including one which called for 'Dethron[ing] the Kings' by placing term limits on politicians. Elected officials on the list, accompanied by their years of service, included Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi — but also Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Grassley, who has served in the Senate for decades and turns 92 years old in September. Trump also highlighted another post from a Truth Social user saying it would be a fitting 'Swan song' for Grassley's lengthy career in the Senate. It did not appear that Grassley was immediately receptive to Trump's pleading, saying Tuesday night, 'I've already spoken about the blue slip problem. And I've got no more to say than what I've been saying for 50 years.' His office also provided a statement saying Grassley has, and will continue, to move judges through his committee with buy-in from Democrats. 'To people in the Real America — not here in Washington, D.C., an island surrounded by reality — the people in Real America don't care about what the 'blue slip' is, but, in fact, it impacts the district judges who serve their communities and the U.S. Attorneys who ensure law and order is enforced,' Grassley added in remarks on Wednesday morning. Grassley was also getting support Wednesday from members from both sides of the aisle. Sitting alongside him on the Judiciary Committee dais, ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he appreciated Grassley chair standing by his previous commitment to maintaining blue slips: 'It really relates to the relationship between the minority and the majority on this committee and the basic rights that we have given for district court judges to the senators that we serve with.' Members of Senate Republican leadership also indicated they had no plans currently to break with Grassley in deference to Trump's demands. 'My view on it is is, I'm happy to hear what Senator Grassley and some of my colleagues say, but no, I don't think there's any strong interest in changing that up here,' Thune told reporters Wednesday. 'We used the blue slip process in South Dakota to get the first Republican judge confirmed in our state since the Reagan administration ... so it's, you know, like I said, it's a process both sides have used. 'We'll see where the conversation goes with our colleagues, but I don't sense any rush to change it, and I think the key is to make sure that we're making good headway doing the list of judges that are on the president's list,' Thune added. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), said separately, 'I support the chairman.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Raging Trump Orders Top Republican to Stop Letting Democrats Laugh at Him
Donald Trump has demanded that Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley scrap a 'ridiculous' tradition that allows home-state senators to block judicial nominees. The president posted that Democrats will exploit it to 'laugh' at Grassley and the Republicans. In a lengthy tirade on Truth Social, Trump urged Grassley to eliminate the so-called 'blue slip' custom, a decades-old Senate tradition that gives senators from a nominee's home state the chance to object to federal judicial nominations. Trump argued that Democrats will abuse the process, which is meant to encourage bipartisan consultation, to obstruct his picks for key judicial positions with nothing more than 'a mere flick of the pen.' 'Senator Grassley must step up, like Crooked Joe Biden did, when he openly broke, at least two times, the 'Blue Slip' SCAM, and like others have done over the years, and let our Great Republican Judges and U.S. Attorneys BE CONFIRMED,' Trump wrote. 'He should do this, IMMEDIATELY, and not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective. The Democrats have broken this ridiculous custom on us, it's time that we break it on them. Chuck, I know you have the Courage to do this, DO IT!' The custom is named after the blue-colored form sent to senators seeking their approval or disapproval. A spokesperson for Grassley, while not directly answering Trump's new demand, noted that the Senate Judiciary chair had already successfully moved Trump's picks for U.S. attorneys through his panel with blue slip support from Democratic senators such as Tim Kaine and Mark Warner in Virginia and Minnesota's Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. 'When a nominee comes out of committee all 100 senators have a say on the nomination and part of their consideration is based on the home state senators' input,' the spokesperson told the Daily Beast. Speaking to Politico, the 91-year-old Grassley added he has no intention of changing his approach to sending out blue slips for federal court nominees. 'I've already spoken about the blue slip problem. And I've got no more to say than what I've been saying for 50 years,' he said.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
GOP Senator Chuck Grassley says he was ‘offended' and ‘disappointed' by Trump's insults in post on judicial nominees
In a on the Judiciary Committee that lets home-state senators block judicial nominees. Advertisement If a home-state senator supports the nominee, they return the blue slip and the process moves forward. If a home-state senator is opposed, they do not return the blue slip and the nomination's usually halted before a hearing is held. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the 'Blue Slip' problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen,' Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social. In his post, Trump lashed out at several Democrats, calling Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Mark Warner of Virgina, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Adam Schiff of California 'SLEAZEBAGS ALL.' He accused them of using the process to impose an 'ironclad stoppage' on Republican judicial nominees. Advertisement 'Senator Grassley must step up, like Crooked Joe Biden did, when he openly broke, at least two times, the 'Blue Slip' SCAM, and like others have done over the years, and let our Great Republican Judges and U.S. Attorneys BE CONFIRMED,' Trump wrote. Trump concluded his post by demanding that Grassley find the 'courage' to end the blue-slip practice 'IMMEDIATELY.' On Wednesday, he reposted several Truth Social messages supporting his stance, including one that called for imposing term limits on lawmakers. The Senate Majority Leader John Thune pushed back on eliminating the blue-slip tradition, pointing out that Republicans relied on it during former president Joe Biden's term. 'I don't sense any rush to change it,' Thune told reporters Wednesday. Alyssa Vega can be reached at
Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
White House backtracks on NIH funding hold amid Hill uproar
Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said Wednesday morning he was 'offended' by President Donald Trump's attempts to pressure him to ram through more nominees coming before his panel without deference to lawmakers whose states would be affected. 'Last night, I was surprised to see President Trump on Truth Social go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the 'blue slip,'' the Iowa Republican said at the opening of a committee business meeting. 'I was offended by what the President said, and I'm disappointed that it would result in personal insult.' Trump has been using social media to go after Grassley to end the so-called blue slip policy for district court judges and U.S. attorney nominees — a practice that allows home state senators to object to the personnel picks for their state and in turn gives the minority party some power over the process. Grassley gave up the practice for circuit court judges during Trump's first term but has not indicated a willingness to jettison it for other positions. The president began his campaign Tuesday evening in an initial demand that Grassley to have the 'courage' to end the blue slip practice 'IMMEDIATELY.' Early Wednesday, Trump was re-posting Truth Social posts that backed up his position, including one which called for 'Dethron[ing] the Kings' by placing term limits on politicians. Elected officials on the list, accompanied by their years of service, included Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi — but also Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Grassley, who has served in the Senate for decades and turns 92 years old in September. Trump also highlighted another post from a Truth Social user saying it would be a fitting 'Swan song' for Grassley's lengthy career in the Senate. It did not appear that Grassley was immediately receptive to Trump's pleading, saying Tuesday night, 'I've already spoken about the blue slip problem. And I've got no more to say than what I've been saying for 50 years.' His office also provided a statement saying Grassley has, and will continue, to move judges through his committee with buy-in from Democrats. 'To people in the Real America — not here in Washington, D.C., an island surrounded by reality — the people in Real America don't care about what the 'blue slip' is, but, in fact, it impacts the district judges who serve their communities and the U.S. Attorneys who ensure law and order is enforced,' Grassley added in remarks on Wednesday morning. Grassley was also getting support Wednesday from members from both sides of the aisle. Sitting alongside him on the Judiciary Committee dais, ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he appreciated Grassley chair standing by his previous commitment to maintaining blue slips: 'It really relates to the relationship between the minority and the majority on this committee and the basic rights that we have given for district court judges to the senators that we serve with.' Members of Senate Republican leadership also indicated they had no plans currently to break with Grassley in deference to Trump's demands. 'My view on it is is, I'm happy to hear what Senator Grassley and some of my colleagues say, but no, I don't think there's any strong interest in changing that up here,' Thune told reporters Wednesday. 'We used the blue slip process in South Dakota to get the first Republican judge confirmed in our state since the Reagan administration ... so it's, you know, like I said, it's a process both sides have used. 'We'll see where the conversation goes with our colleagues, but I don't sense any rush to change it, and I think the key is to make sure that we're making good headway doing the list of judges that are on the president's list,' Thune added. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), said separately, 'I support the chairman.'
