Takeaways from Day 3 of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominee hearings
CNN
Thursday’s trio of confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees put the focus squarely on Trump’s domestic and economic agenda, which will dominate the debates on Capitol Hill this year.
Thursday’s trio of confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees put the focus squarely on Trump’s domestic and economic agenda, which will dominate the debates on Capitol Hill this year. None of the nominees appearing Thursday before the Senate – Scott Bessent at Treasury, Doug Burgum at Interior and Lee Zeldin at the Environmental Protection Agency – appear to be in any danger of not winning Senate confirmation. But their hearings offered a preview of the coming battles the Trump administration will fight this year to implement the president-elect’s agenda on taxes, spending, tariffs and the environment. Bessent’s hearing, in particular, highlighted the looming deadlines in Congress this year on taxes and spending, including extending the Trump 2017 tax cuts. Republicans will have to navigate narrow majorities in the House and Senate to pass legislation. Addressing the expiring tax cuts is “the single most important economic issue of the day,” Bessent told the Senate Finance Committee. Burgum, the former North Dakota governor, praised Trump’s “energy dominance” agenda at his hearing, while Zeldin testified that he believes “climate change is real” but would not did not say whether he believes the EPA has an obligation to regulate planet-warming pollution. Here are takeaways from Thursday’s confirmation hearings:
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