WASHINGTON — The Republican-led Senate is scheduled to hold more than a dozen hearings this week on President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet appointments, hoping to approve them quickly after taking office next Monday.
Senate picks face headwinds and need hearings to garner support from candidates who are expected to advance smoothly to confirmation, such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), the nominee for secretary of state. A wide range of people. Pete Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host, has been appointed Secretary of Defense.
“Next week’s confirmation hearing is going to be a bit of a train wreck,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters last week. “But I’m glad we’re able to complete them, and the FBI background checks will obviously be part of that process.”
The hearing begins Tuesday with Hegseth seated. The Office of Government Ethics’ review of former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s confirmation hearing for Interior secretary has not yet been completed, according to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. As a result, it has been postponed from Tuesday to Thursday.
Similarly, a hearing was scheduled for Tuesday for former Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs. But that will be delayed until Jan. 21 because the FBI has not completed background checks, according to Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).
Rubio will be featured in Wednesday’s hearing. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was nominated by President Trump to head the Department of Justice. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem will lead the Department of Homeland Security. Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe was chosen to head the CIA. Russell Vought, former director of President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, has been selected to fill the role again. Former Congressman Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) was elected Secretary of Transportation. And Chris Wright, an oil and gas industry executive, was chosen by President Trump to be Secretary of Energy.
And Thursday’s hearing will mark Bondi’s second day in front of senators. Former Congressman Lee Zeldin (New York) has been selected as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Scott Bessent, a hedge fund executive who will lead the Treasury Department; Former NFL player Eric Scott Turner has been selected as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Other hearings are scheduled in the coming days and weeks.
If the nominees are approved by the Senate committees that oversee their respective departments, 50 votes from the full Senate are required to ensure approval. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will be able to break the tie starting next Monday when he and Trump are sworn in as president. Senator-elect Jim Justice (R-Va.) is scheduled to take the oath of office before the inauguration. Republicans are losing seats due to Vance’s resignation, but his successor could be sworn in soon if Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, chooses a replacement. This would give Republicans 53 seats and allow three defections before Democratic votes are needed.
Some candidates will likely garner Democratic votes. Sen. John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, expressed support for Rubio, Stefanik and Duffy.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone other than Dr. Oz, but I know Dr. Oz very well,” said Fetterman, who was nominated by President Trump to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He spoke about Mehmet Oz, who defeated him in the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race. “I’ve heard of him before.”
Mr. Cornyn said he was a “enthusiastic” supporter of Mr. Rubio, a fellow Republican senator, and predicted there would be no hostile hearings.
“I think this is going to be one of the most intense confirmation hearings we’ve ever had, a fest of love,” Cornyn said. “I can’t say anything about the others.”
Some lawmakers face strong opposition from Democrats. Democrats have warned Republicans not to rush to confirm nominees before FBI background checks have cleared and the Senate has had adequate time to vet them. Democrats intend to pressure Republican senators to sink some of their nominees.
Hegseth is battling allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement of a nonprofit veterans organization.
Several Republicans, including Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a sexual assault survivor and member of the Armed Services Committee, the committee that will review Mr. Hegseth’s nomination, initially was not proactive in supporting it. Ernst did not say whether he planned to vote for him, but he later issued a statement saying he would “support Pete throughout this process,” adding, “I will support Pete through this process,” adding, “I will support Pete through this process.” He said he was looking forward to the public hearing.
Mr. Ernst is seeking re-election in 2026, but faces pressure from allies of Mr. Trump to support him.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, also continued to express concerns about Hegseth’s ability to lead the Pentagon after their meeting last week. Mr. Reid and the committee chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), underwent an FBI background check on Mr. Hegseth late Friday.
In addition to Mr. Hegseth, several other nominees by President Trump include Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who is now a Republican, to become director of national intelligence, and former independent presidential candidate Robert It has faced bipartisan skepticism from senators such as F. Kennedy Jr. To the Secretary of Health. Hearings for Gabbard and Kennedy have not yet been scheduled.
Gabbard faces questions about her past dealings with foreign adversaries such as former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. She recently changed her mind about a key intelligence-gathering authority she had previously sought to dismantle while in Congress.
In a statement to NBC News, Gabbard said that if confirmed, she would seek to comply with Section 702 of the Alien Surveillance Act. The Alien Surveillance Act is an intelligence-gathering tool passed by Congress after September 11, 2001, that allows the government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign nationals. Citizens residing outside the United States are not required to obtain a warrant.
Still, the Democratic Party is not convinced. Gabbard was “remarkably noncommittal” about her position on national security measures in a meeting with Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, the people said.
Senate Republicans are pushing for Gabbard’s confirmation hearing to be held before President Trump takes office. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) had intended to hold a hearing by next Monday, but the committee has yet to receive her FBI background check and Oval Office information. There wasn’t. Government ethics documents as of Friday, according to sources.
As of Friday, the Senate committee scheduled to hear Burgum and Wright was also missing key documents that members traditionally receive in advance. Despite opposition from Democrats on the Senate Energy Committee, hearings for Burgum and Wright are still scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Bondi, the attorney general nominee, will face two days of hearings on Wednesday and Thursday. The former Florida attorney general, who served as personal attorney during Trump’s first impeachment trial, could be more palatable to Senate Judiciary Republicans after former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s bid for the top post collapsed. Proven.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York accused his Republican colleagues of “rushing through” the president-elect’s choice without proper vetting.
“When Republicans try to rush nominees before senators receive basic information like background reports, like the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Americans wonder what Republicans are trying to hide. “We have to ask,” Schumer said on the Senate floor last week.
