The Battles Over Donald Trump's Cabinet Nominees Are Finally Here
HuffPost
Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem will all sit at witness tables in Senate confirmation hearings this week.
WASHINGTON ― President-elect Donald Trump’s personnel plans for his second term have consumed Washington since the November election, but the confirmation process for top administration officials is only now getting underway with a slate of high-profile Senate committee hearings beginning this week.
Starting Tuesday morning, 12 nominees will appear for potentially explosive televised hearings with senators who’ll grill them on their backgrounds and vision for their jobs. Expect the process to consist of Republicans attempting to push through some of Trump’s most contentious nominees amid strong objections from Democrats, who lost control of the Senate in November but who are expected to support some of Trump’s picks.
The nominees slated to appear in Congress this week include former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, tapped for interior secretary; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, for homeland security secretary; former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, for U.S. attorney general; former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, for transportation secretary; former National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe, for CIA director; Sen. Marco Rubio, for secretary of state; former Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, to lead OMB again; former White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council director Scott Turner, for housing and urban development secretary; former Rep. Lee Zeldin, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency; and investor Scott Bessent, for treasury secretary.
On Tuesday, Senate panels will consider one of Trump’s most controversial nominees — former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.
Hegseth has been accused of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse, charges the former Army National Guard officer has denied. He’s also been accused of financial mismanagement as the head of a Veterans Affairs nonprofit in 2016, prompting concerns about his ability to manage the nation’s largest government agency.
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Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem will all sit at witness tables in Senate confirmation hearings this week.
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