Politics
Senate Considering Trump’s Cabinet Nominees This Week
Democrats are delaying the nominations of Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr., both former Democrats who campaigned for Trump.
Hearing are scheduled on thirteen nominees. Two nominees, Tulsi Gabbard and RFK, Jr., both former Democrats, are being delayed by the Democrats.
The Republican Party has a slim majority in the Senate — 53 Republicans to 45 Democrats and 2 independents who caucus with Democrats. If the Republicans vote as a block, they can push through all of Trump’s nominees . But while Democrats typically do vote as a party block, Republicans do not, and if only a few Republicans should stray, one or more nominations could be in jeopardy. This is being seen as the first test of President Trump’s ability to enforce party discipline.
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
Embed from Getty ImagesHegseth will appear before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on Jan. 14. Most recently, he has been a host and analyst on FoxNews. Previously, he served on Active Duty on deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was twice awarded the Bronze Star.
Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior
Embed from Getty ImagesBurgum will appear before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 14. He was the Governor of North Dakota from 2016 to 2024. Burgum will also chair the new National Energy Council, a positi0on which will give him a seat on the White House National Security Council.
Doug Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Embed from Getty ImagesCollins will appear before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Jan. 14. He was a member of the House of Representatives from Georgia, 2013 to 2021.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
Embed from Getty ImagesRubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 15. To take this job, Rubio resigned as a Senator from Florida, a position he held since 2011.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security
Embed from Getty ImagesNoem appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Jan. 15. Noem , the Governor of North Dakota, is well liked by Republicans and conservatives. As Director of Homeland Security, she will work with Border Czar Tom Homan (who does not require nomination and confirmation) in connection with threats related to illegal immigration and smuggling.
Pamela Bondi, Attorney General
Embed from Getty ImagesBondi was given the nomination after Trump’s first choice for the AG’s spot, Matt Gaets, withdrew from consideration after Democrats would not stop talking about some sexual liaisons he had had some years ago. Bondi is the former Attorney General of Florida, and is highly respected for her work in that position Bondi will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on both Jan. 15 and Jan. 16.
John Ratcliffe, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Embed from Getty ImagesRatcliffe is scheduled for both open and closed hearings of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Jan. 15. He was a Representative from Texas from 2015 to 2020 and served as Director of National Intelligence for President Trump during his first administration.
Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy
Embed from Getty ImagesWright will appear before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 15. he is the CEO of Liberty Energy, North America’s second largest hydraulic fracturing company,m which he founded in 2011.
Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Embed from Getty ImagesVought will appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Jan. 15. Vought was the Director of the Office of Management and Budget during Trump’s first term, and will be returning to this same position.
Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation
Embed from Getty ImagesDuffy will appear before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Jan. 15. He was a Member of the House of Representatives from Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019, and thereafter took a hosting position with Fox Business.
Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury
Embed from Getty ImagesBessent will appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Jan. 16. He is the founder of international investment firm Key Square Group. Bessent will attempt to maintaining the U.S. dollar’s position as the world’s reserve currency, and will oversee tariff policies.
Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Embed from Getty ImagesZeldin will appear before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Jan. 16. He was a Member of the House of Representatives from New York from 2015 to 2023. He ran for governor of New York in 2022., and lost, but his performance as a Republican candidate in Democratic New York was very impressive.
Scott Turner, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Embed from Getty ImagesTurner will appear before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on Jan. 16. During Trump’s first term, Turner served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. Turner played football for the NFL’s Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, and Denver Broncos.
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence
Embed from Getty ImagesGabbard does not have a Senate confirmation hearing scheduled as Democrats are treating her very poorly. This is likely because she, a former four-term Democrat House Member from Hawaii, a former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, and a former Democratic Presidential candidate, crossed party lines to campaign for Donald Trump. Suddenly, the Democrats question her qualifications. She is also a Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserves. Several Democrats have labelled her as “compromised” by Russia. There does not appear to be any legitimacy whatsoever for this slander, but the Democrats want her to pay dearly for switching parties.
At this time, Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee are saying they must see an FBI background check and ethics disclosures, which is widely seen as an effort to delay, and defeat, her nomination. Should they succeed, it will be a far more difficult choice for other Democrats to jump ship in the future.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. , Secretary of Health and Human Services
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother former Democrat who has also crossed over for Trump, Kennedy is also being given a difficult confirmation process by Democrats. The nephew of JFK and the son of RFK, Kennedy was the darling of the Democrats until he started campaigning for President Trump. Democrats have put off his nomination hearing until late January, and are claiming that he is a “threat to public health.” Kennedy is an eminently qualified environmental lawyer and an acknowledged expert on healthy and unhealthy foods and childhood vaccines. His strong advocacy for changes in processed foods and vaccines have earned him significant support from many Americans and significant opposition from the industries that manufacture processed foods and pharmaceuticals.