Expect a traffic jam in the Senate as President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominees move through the confirmation process. Nothing can happen until Trump takes office on January 20, after which committees will begin to schedule markups to send various nominations to the floor.
Several cabinet-level nominations could be voted on in the evening of January 20, with Sen. Marco Rubio, Director of Central Intelligence nominee John Ratcliffe, and Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi being prime contenders. The process is unlikely to be expedited, given that every nominee must go through a hearing, which can take days or weeks to complete.
Nominees face various roadblocks, including hearings, debates, and potentially Democratic filibusters, which would require Senate Majority Leader John Thune to trigger procedural votes. Some nominees, such as Energy Committee nominee Doug Burgum and Veterans Affairs nominee Doug Collins, may have been able to clear hurdles more quickly.
In February 2017, Vice President Mike Pence had to break a tie to confirm then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. To accelerate the process, the Senate may clear groups of non-controversial nominees “en bloc,” a time-saving but still tedious procedure. Confirming over 800 positions will consume a significant amount of time, leading to a drawn-out and marathon process in the Senate.
Committees may be delayed or cancelled due to issues with paperwork or attendance, causing the pace to slow down further. Ultimately, the push to confirm Trump’s nominees is unlikely to speed through the Senate quickly, taking weeks, even months, to finalize.