President Trump is fed up with Congress and especially Senator Chuck Grassley today. He just (rightfully) unloaded on him for this “Blue Slip” nonsense that is holding up the entire Trump Agenda. Watch here: So….what exactly are these “Blue Slips” and where did they come from? Glad you asked! They date back to 1917 and they are not found anywhere in the Constitution. Allow me to fill you in: Where blue slips came from — the history Origins (around 1917) The Senate began using blue slips as a formal way to enforce “senatorial courtesy,” an older idea that home-state senators should be consulted before nominees affecting their state are confirmed. Mid-1900s Over time, the blue slip evolved into a tool that could act as a near-veto. From the 1950s through the 1970s, a single senator withholding a blue slip could completely block a nomination. 1980s–2000s Different Judiciary Committee chairs treated blue slips differently. Sometimes a missing slip stopped a nomination entirely. Sometimes it only slowed things down. Sometimes the committee ignored missing slips if the White House showed it had consulted the senators. 2010s–2020s The blue slip lost power over appeals court nominations — chairs began holding hearings even without blue slips from home-state senators. But for district judges and U.S. Attorneys, the blue slip still carries a lot of weight depending on the chair. In short:It started as courtesy → became a veto → became flexible → still matters heavily for certain positions today. Why this matters even for short-term or temporary appointments Even if a President wants to appoint someone to a position expected to last only a few months — such as an acting U.S. Attorney or an interim role — the full, permanent appointment still requires Senate confirmation. If the nomination triggers the blue-slip process and the home-state senators don’t sign off, the nominee can be blocked from getting the permanent role, and the President may be forced to rely on temporary appointments. How the blue-slip process is affecting Trump in December 2025 Here is the situation, stated factually: President Trump is making a number of nominations for U.S. Attorney and district court seats.These positions still traditionally rely on blue slips. Some home-state senators — especially Democrats, but also a few Republicans — are refusing to return blue slips on certain nominees.When a senator doesn’t return the slip, the Judiciary Committee can delay or decline to move forward. The current chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee (Chuck Grassley) still gives significant weight to the blue slip for district-level and U.S. Attorney nominations.That means a withheld blue slip can stall a nomination even if Trump wants it expedited. Several of Trump’s preferred nominees have been blocked or slowed because the home-state senators withheld blue slips.This includes a few high-profile picks for U.S. Attorney roles. Trump has publicly criticized the blue-slip practice as outdated and unfair because a single senator can obstruct his nominations, even for short-term or urgently needed positions. The impasse has created friction not only between Trump and Senate Democrats but also between Trump and some Senate Republicans who want to preserve the tradition of senatorial input. In simple terms:Even though Trump is President again, the blue-slip tradition lets individual senators slow down or stop certain nominees. This is especially true for positions tied closely to a specific state, like U.S. Attorneys. As of December 2025, that is one of the obstacles Trump is running into as he tries to fill some posts quickly, including those he intends only for short-term service. RELATED REPORT: President Trump Caught On Hot Mic — And He’s Not Wrong! President Trump was just caught on a hot mic venting to someone named Ted or Jeff about how he can't appoint anyone! And he's not wrong! They're trying to slow him down and run out the clock on him. Here's the best transcript I can make from the audio: Hey ____. I can't appoint anybody. Everybody I've appointed here, time is expired. And then they're in default and then we're losing. Watch here: Another version here: BREAKING - President Trump was just caught on a hot mic calling out “Republicans” for allowing Democrats to run the clock down on his administration. “I can’t appoint anybody. Everybody I’ve appointed has had their time expire. Then they’re in default, then we’re losing.” pic.twitter.com/ZH8lOQaTIh — Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) December 8, 2025 He's exactly right! Republicans in Congress are letting him down BIG LEAGUE!