Sluggish pace of confirmations vexes Biden White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump struggled during his first year in office to get his nominees confirmed in a timely fashion in the Senate. President Joe Biden is faring even worse. Biden has seen about 36% of his nominees confirmed by the Senate. Trump had a success rate of 38% at the same stage of his presidency. Both marks pale compared with their recent predecessors. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama saw about two-thirds of their nominees confirmed through early October. The trend is alarming to good government advocates, who say Washington’s ability to meet mounting challenges is being undermined by gaps in leadership.