Trump's cabinet picks will begin confirmation hearings this week – here's the schedule

Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald on Jan 12, 2025

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The U.S. Senate will get down to the business of confirming President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks this week, when several nominees will face an uphill battle as they work to convince a majority of lawmakers that they are fit to serve in the position to which they’ve been nominated.

Here is the hearing schedule thus far, as published by the Senate.

Tuesday, Jan 14, 2025

The Veterans’ Affairs committee will meet at 9:00 a.m. over the appointment of former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins to lead the VA. Collins, a former Navy chaplain, so far has faced little public pushback to his nomination.

The Armed Services committee will convene at 9:30 a.m. to consider the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense. Hegseth has faced backlash over past comments regarding women in combat roles and allegations of sexual assault, which he denies.

The Energy and Natural Resources committee will consider the nomination of former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be Secretary of the Interior at 10 a.m. The two-term oil-state governor is widely expected to clear the nomination process.

Wednesday, Jan 15, 2025

Hearings over South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security will be held before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee at 9:00 a.m. Noem’s nomination came after she deployed her state’s National Guard to the U.S. southern border.

Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice will get her first hearing before the Judiciary committee starting at 9:30 a.m. Bondi is Trump’s second pick to serve as Attorney General, after former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz dropped out of consideration.

Former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy’s nomination to serve as Secretary of Transportation will be considered by the Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee at 10 a.m. Duffy, a former Fox News host, has found bipartisan support among members of the committee.

The Energy and Natural Resources committee will convene at 10 a.m. to consider the nomination of Chris Wright to be Secretary of Energy. Wright is the founder and CEO of Liberty Energy, Denver-based fracking company.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio will be the subject of a Foreign Relations committee hearing at 10 a.m., over his nomination to serve as Secretary of State. Rubio is widely expected to sail through the nomination process.

Hearings over John Ratcliffe’s nomination to serve as Director of the CIA will start at 10 a.m. before the Intelligence Committee, which will then retreat behind closed doors for a classified hearing. Ratcliffe’s experience in the first Trump Administration, when he served as Director of National Intelligence, makes him a bit more of a traditional pick than some of Trump’s other nominees.

Consideration of the nomination of Russell Vought to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget will be held at 1 p.m. before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. It’s a role Vought held in 2020 and 2021, and he’s likely to find support among Senate Republicans a second time around.

Thursday, Jan 16, 2025

The Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee will convene at 10 a.m. to consider the nomination of Eric Scott Turner to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Turner served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term. A former NFL player and Texas state Representative, Turner is seen as a relatively unknown pick among Trump’s other high-profile nominations.

Former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York will be the subject of an Environment and Public Works hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. Zeldin, who was a protest pick for the House Speaker’s role several years ago, failed in a recent bid to oust New York Gov. Kathy Hochul from office.

Further Judiciary committee hearings over Pam Bondi’s nomination to serve as AG will continue at 10:15 a.m.

Trump’s pick to be Secretary of the Treasury, billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, will get his first hearing at 10:30 a.m. before the Finance committee. Bessent’s nomination was met with relief by investors and business leaders.

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