Senate braces for ‘train wreck’ as hearings begin for Trump cabinet picks

WASHINGTON — The Republican-led Senate is expected to hold more than a dozen hearings this week to determine President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, hoping to confirm them quickly after his Jan. 20 inauguration.

The selections presented to the Senate range from those expected to have an easy path to confirmation, like Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for secretary of state, to others who face headwinds and need audiences to build support, such as former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, a military veteran, for Secretary of Defense.

“We’re going to have a little disaster next week in the confirmation hearings,” Sen. John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, told reporters last week. “But I’m glad we’re getting there, and FBI background checks would be a natural part of that process.”

Hearings begin Tuesday with Hegseth; former Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., Trump’s pick for Veterans Affairs secretary; and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as Interior secretary.

Wednesday’s hearings will feature Rubio; former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department; South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security; former National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe, who was chosen to lead the CIA; former Trump White House Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought, who was tapped to fill the role again; former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., who was chosen as transportation secretary; and oil and gas industry executive Chris Wright, Trump’s pick for energy secretary.

And Thursday’s hearings will include a second day of Bondi appearing before senators; Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s pick as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., chosen to lead the Environmental Protection Agency; hedge fund executive Scott Bessent, who is expected to lead the Treasury Department; and former NFL player Eric Scott Turner, who was named Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Other hearings will also be scheduled in the coming days and weeks.

If the potential nominees are approved by the respective Senate committees that oversee their departments, they will need 50 votes from the full Senate to ensure confirmation. Vice President-elect JD Vance will be able to decide the ties starting January 20, when he and Trump take office. Sen.-elect Jim Justice, R-W.Va., is expected to take the oath of office before the inauguration. Republicans lose a seat because of Vance’s resignation, but his successor can be sworn in quickly after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, picks one. This will give the GOP 53 seats, allowing three defections before Democratic votes are needed.

Some candidates will get Democratic votes. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., expressed support for Rubio, Stefanik and Duffy.

“I think I’ve met everyone except Dr. Oz.” But I know Dr. Oz,” Fetterman said of Mehmet Oz, Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, whom he defeated in Pennsylvania’s 2022 Senate election. heard of him.”

Cornyn said he “enthusiastically” supported Rubio, his fellow Republican senator, and predicted he would not have a hostile audience.

“I think this will be the closest and most celebratory hearing of all the confirmation hearings,” Cornyn said. “I can’t say the same about the others.”

Others face strong opposition from Democrats, who warn Republicans not to rush into confirming nominees before their FBI background checks are clear and the Senate takes time necessary to examine them. Democrats will seek to pressure Republican senators to reject some of the nominees.

Hegseth is battling allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and mismanagement of finances at a nonprofit veterans group.

Several Republicans were initially evasive about their support for Hegseth, including Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a sexual assault survivor and member of the Armed Services Committee, the panel that will consider her nomination. Although she has not said whether she plans to vote for him, Ernst has since released a statement saying she will “support Pete throughout this process” and looks forward to “a fair hearing based on the truth and not on anonymous sources.

Ernst, who is up for re-election in 2026, has been pressured by Trump’s allies to support him.

The top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed, D-I., also remained concerned about Hegseth’s ability to lead the Department of Defense after the two men met last week. Reed and committee chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., received Hegseth’s background check from the FBI Friday evening.

Alongside Hegseth, several other Trump picks have faced bipartisan skepticism from senators, including Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who is now a Republican, for director of national intelligence, and the former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary. Hearings for Gabbard and Kennedy have not yet been scheduled.

Gabbard has faced questions about her past dealings with foreign adversaries like former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. She recently changed her mind on a key intelligence-gathering authority that she previously sought to dismantle while in the House of Representatives.

In a statement to NBC News, Gabbard said that if confirmed, she would work to enforce Section 702 of the Foreign Surveillance Act – an intelligence collection tool passed by Congress after September 11, 2001. , which allows the government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreigners. nationals living outside the United States without the need to obtain a warrant.

Yet Democrats are not convinced. Gabbard was “noticeably disengaged” about her position on the national security tool during her meeting with the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., a source said close to the file.

The move comes as Senate Republicans push to hold Gabbard’s confirmation hearing before Trump is sworn in. Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pledged to hold the hearing before Jan. 20, but his background check from the FBI and Office of Government Ethics documents had not been met. still not received by the committee as of Friday, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The Senate committees scheduled to hold hearings for Burgum and Wright on Friday also lacked key documents that members traditionally receive beforehand. Burgum and Wright’s hearings are still scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday despite objections from Democrats on the Senate Energy Committee.

Bondi, the attorney general’s pick, faces two days of hearings Wednesday and Thursday. The former Florida attorney general, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer during his first impeachment trial, proved more palatable to Senate Judiciary Republicans after the former’s bid failed representing Matt Gaetz in the top job.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused his Republican colleagues of “rushing” into choosing the president-elect without proper review.

“When Republicans, like the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, try to rush nominees before senators have even received basic information, such as background reports, Americans need to stand up. ask: what are republicans trying to hide? Schumer said on the Senate floor last week.