FACT CHECK: Democrats Can Slow Down Trump Nominations, But Not Completely Block Them

A post shared on X claims that Democrats could block all of President Donald Trump’s nominations.

Wait.

You’re telling me a single Democrat could’ve blocked Trump’s nominees THIS WHOLE TIME and they just DIDN’T? https://t.co/RwKW3u7pbH

— Dave Madden (@aspiringpeasant) February 4, 2025

Verdict: Misleading

While Democrats can slow Trump’s nominees, they cannot block them permanently without Republican support.

Fact Check:

Two Senate Democrats announced that they would place a hold over Trump’s State Department nominees due to billionaire Elon Musk targeting the United States Agency for International Development, according to the Hill. (RELATED: Facebook Video Purporting To Show Robot Cutting Elon Musk’s Hair Is AI-Generated)

Social media users have been claiming that Democrats can block Trump’s nominees. One user wrote, “Wait. You’re telling me a single Democrat could’ve blocked Trump’s nominees THIS WHOLE TIME and they just DIDN’T?”

This claim is misleading. Senate Democrats can place holds on Trump’s nominees. A hold “is an informal practice whereby Senators communicate to Senate leaders, often in the form of a letter, their policy views and scheduling preferences regarding measures and matters available for floor consideration,” according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

“Blanket holds are leveled against an entire category of business, such as all nominations to a particular agency or department,” per the CRS. In practice, it means makes votes for nominees lengthier and forces Republicans to use “floor time” to vote on these nominees, per NBC News.

Democrats can slow down Trump’s nominees through these holds but cannot block them permanently without Republican support, as Democrats only have 47 seats of the Senate’s 100, per the outlet.