Why Trump Cabinet Nominees Face Confirmation Delays

Confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees began this week. It won’t be easy for some candidates to lead U.S. government agencies.

Pete HegsethTrump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, was the first to appear Tuesday morning. He told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he would focus on “warfare conduct and lethality.” CNN. His mission at the Pentagon will be to “bring back the warrior culture to the Department of Defense,” he told the committee. But Hegseth is beset by questions about his past drinking, alleged mismanagement of nonprofits and sexual assault allegations. Hegseth is not “qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this position,” said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.).

Only a ‘small handful’ of Trump’s Cabinet picks are on track to be confirmed quickly, said Policy. The problems are not only related to the political opposition. Trump and his allies want large numbers of nominees “confirmed on day one,” but delays in paperwork — FBI background checks, financial disclosures and other documents — are slowing the process. These questions are “sparking tension” between Senate Republicans and Trump’s team. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said nominees should be approved quickly, but “the Senate has a role: to advise and give consent.”

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It’s likely that Senate Democrats will use their question time during the hearings to “rough some of the nominees on their qualifications,” Philip Elliot said at a news conference. Time. Hegseth isn’t the only candidate facing strong opposition: Tulsi GabbardTrump’s choice for director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.the choice of the top health official, will both face great skepticism. Democrats don’t expect to be able to “derail” all of Trump’s nominees, Elliot said, but “they reasonably expect that they can knock off a few” enough for the new president to rethink his choices.

But Trump’s nominees have “a good chance of being confirmed” despite this opposition, said The Hill. After all, Republicans have a 53-seat majority in the Senate. Cabinet nominees would need to lose the support of at least four Republican senators to be defeated, and that seems unlikely. These senators are inclined to “let the president have his team, barring extraordinary circumstances,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Thune is trying to determine which candidates he can help confirm and prepare for Trump’s first day in office, Policy said. The nominations for “the national security space are extremely important,” he said. That group includes Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Trump’s pick for secretary of state, as well as Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the pick to be ambassador to the United Nations. These first-day confirmations are a “top priority,” said Republican Senate Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

But the delays are piling up. A confirmation hearing for Doug Collins, Trump’s pick to lead Veterans Affairs, was supposed to begin Tuesday, said Military time. It was instead postponed until January 21 due to “missing information documents.” And Gabbard’s nomination for DNI is “in limbo” as senators are still waiting for necessary documents, said The Washington Examiner. For senators voting on nominations, “it’s critical that you have these documents,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

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