Democrats let Secretary of State Marco Rubio blitz to Senate confirmation Monday. Now it’s time for trench warfare.
With Donald Trump’s nominees slowly emerging from Senate committees, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are preparing for a weekslong slog as Democrats force Republicans to work through procedural obstacles to fill out the new president’s Cabinet.
CIA director pick John Ratcliffe is expected to get a relatively smooth bipartisan confirmation on Tuesday. But after that, more controversial nominees await, and cooperation could be hard to come by.
Accelerating any confirmation will require unanimous agreement from senators, and after letting Rubio through, Democrats are not eager to ease the way for many other Trump picks.
“I don’t think the Democrats are in any hurry,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in an interview. “So I think we’re just gonna have to grind through, and maybe you’re here for some late nights and weekends for the next few weeks.”
Topping the list of more troublesome nominees is Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon pick who has weathered allegations ranging from sexual misconduct to financial mismanagement. But Republicans appear arrayed behind Hegseth, who has denied the allegations, and they are ready to undertake what could be a four-day process to get him confirmed.
Russell Vought, Trump’s pick for White House budget director, is also bitterly divisive, emerging from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Monday on a party line vote. Homeland Security secretary nominee Kristi Noem could also be subject to an extended confirmation timeline, despite winning some Democratic support in committee.
The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS secretary and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence are still awaiting committee action but are expected to spark major fights should they come to the floor.
“Democrats have been very clear about our approach to President Trump’s nominees,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday. “We will neither rubber-stamp nominees we feel are grossly unqualified nor oppose nominees that deserve serious consideration.”
Rubio, he said, fell in the latter category, “a qualified nominee we think should be confirmed quickly.”
For most Trump nominees, the outcome is not in question. Republicans can confirm any of them so long as they stick together, but to do so without eating up days of time they need help from…
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