Home » These 12 Democrat senators have voted against every nominee but Rubio

These 12 Democrat senators have voted against every nominee but Rubio

Today is Feb. 3, 2025, and the Senate has confirmed eight of President Donald Trump’s nominees. That means he’s running ahead of Joe Biden, who by the end of Feb. 3, 2021, still only had seven Cabinet members confirmed.

But one key difference is the level of Democrat resistance. Republicans may often be painted with the “obstructionist brush,” but of Biden’s seven confirmations through Feb. 3, only two Republicans voted against them all. When you compare that with Trump’s, excepting former Sen. Marco Rubio, 12 Democrats have voted no (or skipped) every single nominee. By contrast, the only two Republicans who voted against all seven of Biden’s nominees through Feb. 3 were Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri.

This new level of obstruction puts Trump nominees Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at particular risk and empowers Republican Senate opposition to the president.

Twelveisn’tasmallnumberintheU.S.Senate.JustthreeRepublicans—Cruz,RandPaulofKentucky,andMikeLeeofUtah—earnedthenickname“wackobirds”forholdingupPresidentBarackObama’ssecond-termSenateagenda.Beforethem,senatorssuchasJimDeM