Senate Republicans will begin the confirmation process for President-elect Trump’s Cabinet this week amid efforts by Democrats to stall the process.
Half a dozen nominees will appear at Senate confirmation hearings scheduled for Jan. 11. The Senate Judiciary Committee will start a two-day hearing beginning Jan. 10 to consider the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who is Trump’s pick for attorney general.
“The priorities between now and Jan. 20 are hearings on Cabinet members,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Besides Sessions, the other nominees appearing are Rex Tillerson for state, Betsy DeVos for education, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly for homeland security, Elaine Chao for transportation and Mike Pompeo for CIA.
Republicans had hoped to confirm many of the nominees on the 20th, the day Trump is sworn into office and can officially send the nominees to the Senate for a floor vote.
But Democrats are plotting to drag out the process, which could prevent Cabinet members from taking office for weeks.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to target eight Trump picks, including secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson, health and human services secretary nominee Tom Price and Sessions.
“Our caucus thinks it’s absolutely essential that the U.S. Senate has a chance to appropriately vet these nominees and the American people deserve to hear their views and qualifications in public hearings, especially for the most powerful Cabinet positions,” Schumer said.
Schumer is demanding additional time to ensure FBI checks are completed, financial records are vetted and potential conflicts of interest are explored for each nominee.
But Republicans have declared the stalling tactic a hypocritical effort to simply thwart the incoming Trump administration. Especially since Republicans helped Democrats confirm seven Obama Cabinet members on Jan. 20, 2009.
“We hope the minority will treat President-elect Trump’s Cabinet selections in the same way that we treated President Obama, and we confirmed a number on Inauguration Day itself,” McConnell said. “We hope to be in a position to do that once again.”
Inauguration Day votes could be difficult, however, if Democrats employ stalling tactics at the committee level, which could drag out panel votes past the 20th.
Committees can vote as early as 48 hours after completion of a hearing, but it could take longer if senators submit additional questions, which will require nominees to respond. Democrats can also employ procedural tactics to slow things down.
“If the Democrats want to slow-walk, it can take weeks,” an aide on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which will vet CIA director nominee Mike Pompeo, told the Washington Examiner.
Democrats are complaining that many of the hearings will take place on a single day, which might make it difficult for lawmakers on multiple panels to be in attendance.
Democrats are also ramping up their efforts to cast doubt on the nominees.
Last week, Schumer called on the outside House ethics watchdog office to investigate Price’s stock portfolio, suggesting he help pass bills that would increase the value of his stocks.
“We don’t know if he broke the law,” Schumer said. “But there certainly is enough serious questions to warrant a serious investigation before any hearing is held on Congressman Price to become Secretary of HHS.”
Republicans said they are not planning to delay any hearings. Thanks to a rules change imposed by Democrats in 2013, it will take only 51 votes to confirm each nominee, rather than the usual 60.
All the talk by Democrats about stopping the nominations, a top GOP aide told the Washington Examiner, “is all spin.”
