In the quadrennial tradition of various Cabinet nominees parading around the Senate, President-elect Trump’s “policies” descended on Capitol Hill this week. This marks the beginning of a series of meetings between senators and Cabinet nominees, aimed at getting a sense of what senators want to know about them and where the pitfalls lie.
Pam Bondi, Trump’s second pick for attorney general, arrived at the Capitol Monday to meet with incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, but her first meeting was postponed due to a flight delay. She later met with Grassley, saying, “I look forward to working with you and leading your nomination through the United States Senate. Should I earn the trust and the nomination from all of the senators, I will do my best every day to work tirelessly for the American people and make you, the president, and our country proud.”
On the other hand, Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. military, faces a host of questions about his qualifications and has been accused of being drunk while traveling on the job. Hegseth has also expressed reservations about women serving in combat.
Other nominees, including Elise Stefanik for United Nations ambassador and Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary, are also set to meet with senators. Heidegger and Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will also make their presence known in the coming weeks, and their confirmation hearings will likely be televised and closely followed.
Meanwhile, President-elect Trump has tapped former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which aims to pare back the government. They will meet with House and Senate Republicans to discuss their plans.
Democrats, on the other hand, are insistent that Republicans follow established procedure and not bypass the Senate if there are problems with nominees. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin warned that a “speed dating process” for Cabinet nominees could lead to embarrassing and unqualified appointments. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also wrote to Thune, imploring him to preserve the Senate’s authority to approve or reject nominees.
As the Senate delves into the process of staffing the next administration, it will be an eventful few weeks, with lots of meetings, hearings, and votes to come.
