Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Monday said he was prepared to change the chamber’s rules to expedite the confirmation process, decrying Democrats’ “historic obstruction” in blocking President Trump’s nominees. “Democrats have destroyed Senate precedent — and we’re going to fix it,” he said on the floor, teeing up a rule change that can be approved with a simple majority, known as the “nuclear option.” The rule change would allow the Senate to confirm sub-Cabinet executive branch nom

Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson was elected as the new Senate President Pro Tempore, while Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri was chosen as the new Senate Majority Floor Leader following the chamber's leadership shakeup on Monday, September 8. | ABS-CBN News