Politics

Senate Judiciary Committee Votes to Advance Blanche's Attorney General Nomination

The committee vote moves Todd Blanche one step closer to permanent confirmation, shifting oversight of the Department of Justice from acting to confirmed leadership at a moment of heightened...

The Congressional Times · August 4, 2026

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, to advance the nomination of Todd Blanche to serve as the permanent Attorney General of the United States, according to ABC News. Blanche has been serving in an acting capacity at the Department of Justice pending Senate confirmation. The committee vote sends the nomination to the full Senate floor for a final confirmation vote, the timing of which has not yet been publicly scheduled by Senate Majority leadership.

Blanche was nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Justice on a permanent basis. He has been serving as acting Attorney General while the Senate conducted its review. The Senate Judiciary Committee holds jurisdiction over all federal judicial and law enforcement nominations under Senate Rule XXV, and its affirmative vote is the required procedural step before a full Senate floor vote can proceed, per Senate rules published in the Congressional Record.

The committee vote tally, including how individual members voted, was not fully detailed in the initial ABC News report. The full roll call of the committee vote would be contained in the Senate Judiciary Committee's official meeting record, which is publicly available through the Senate.gov committee activity portal. A party-line or bipartisan breakdown of the vote would provide additional context regarding the level of support or opposition Blanche faces ahead of a floor vote.

Blanche's tenure as acting Attorney General has coincided with ongoing questions about DOJ policy priorities and prosecutorial decisions, though no specific formal congressional inquiry into his conduct has been cited in publicly available congressional records as of this publication. The Senate floor vote, once scheduled, will require a simple majority for confirmation under current Senate rules following the elimination of the filibuster for executive nominations in 2013.

What remains unknown is the precise date Senate Majority Leader John Thune intends to schedule the floor vote, the final committee vote tally by member, and whether any senators have publicly announced plans to place a hold on the nomination. The official Senate Judiciary Committee meeting minutes and the Congressional Record for the relevant session would contain the complete vote breakdown and any statements entered by committee members for or against the nomination.

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