WASHINGTON – The fate of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet remains unclear after Republican senators spent much of December carefully avoiding questions about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views. on vaccines, sexual harassment allegations against Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard’s 2017 meeting with then-Syrian President Bashar Assad.
While some GOP senators have indicated they are fully behind Trump’s picks, others have withheld support for now, particularly on some of his more controversial nominees. This lively adds uncertainty to the process as Republicans prepare to win the Senate majority in January by a four-seat margin and Trump aggressively challenges them for the immediate approval of his cabinet.
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It is not unusual for senators to wait until after confirmation hearings to publicly announce a decision. But Republicans are under more pressure than usual as Trump and his allies make it clear they will confront senators who do not toe the line.
“You only have control of the Senate because of Donald Trump,” warned the president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., during a media appearance this month. “Without it, you would be marginalized.”
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So far, there has been one casualty in the process – former Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida, who withdrew from the race for attorney general after senators raised their private concerns. But Trump enthusiastically supported the others, including Kennedy as secretary of Health and Human Services, Hegseth as defense secretary and Gabbard as director of national intelligence.
With hearings set to begin in mid-January, before Trump is even sworn in, senators will soon have to decide how closely they will look at the candidates and whether they will be willing to vote against any of them. Republicans will have a 53-47 majority, so Trump cannot lose more than three votes on any nomination if Democrats are united in opposition.
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The outcome of the confirmation process and the level of opposition in the Senate will likely set the tone for Trump’s presidency and his relationship with Congress, which was often tumultuous during his first term. He was often at odds with the Senate in particular, but made it clear that he expected Republican senators to be more compliant this time around.
“It’s not about putting a ‘yes’ vote on the board, it’s about not allowing a ‘no’ discussion,” said Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, one of Trump’s top allies in the Senate who speaks to him frequently.
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While most Senate Republicans tried to be as committed as possible to Trump, a handful made clear they were willing to defend the body’s “advise and consent” role. Senators to watch include moderate Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and up-to-date senator John Curtis of Utah.
“Anyone who wants to tease me for doing my job, go ahead,” Curtis said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” when asked about vetting Trump’s nominees. “This is my job. It is my constitutional duty.”
Still, even moderate senators are shying away from directly criticizing Trump’s choices. And no Republican came out against any candidate.
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Several of Trump’s picks are expected to be certified, perhaps even with a compact number of Democratic votes. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has indicated that he will support the senator from Florida. Marco Rubio for Secretary of State and Rep. Eliza Stefanik for United Nations ambassador, as did several other Democrats.
However, for the more controversial candidates, party unity will be crucial.
One of Trump’s most at-risk picks is Hegseth, a Fox News host and veteran who some consider inexperienced and who has publicly questioned whether women should serve in combat. He was also charged with sexual assault and excessive alcohol consumption, which he denied. But all of that was put on hold by some senators, despite Trump enthusiastic support.
Hegseth faced particular pressure from Iowa State His. Joni Ernstherself a combat veteran who has worked to address sexual violence in the military. She has met with Hegseth several times and has not yet said she will support him. She will have the opportunity to question him publicly and in person at his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing scheduled for Jan. 14.
While Gabbard’s hearing has not yet been scheduled, senators will also be able to question her publicly and in secret over her trip to Syria after the U.S. severed diplomatic ties. Gabbard defended the trip, saying it was vital to open dialogue, but critics hear echoes of Russia-fueled talks in her comments. Assad escaped to Moscow earlier this month after opposition forces overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending five decades of his family’s rule.
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While Republican senators have largely refrained from publicly expressing concerns about Gabbard’s foreign ties, nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of government records on her.
Senators were a bit more openly skeptical of Kennedy, who has long questioned the apply of some vaccines.
After a report in the New York Times, this one of his advisers submitted a request to withdraw consent to the polio vaccine in 2022, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement saying that “efforts to undermine public trust in proven medicines are not just based on a lack of knowledge – they are dangerous” and that “anyone who seeks Senate approval to serve in the new administration, he would do well to avoid even the appearance of association with such efforts.”
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McConnell, who had polio in childhoodhe will leave office next year but will remain in the Senate. Later, his votes will also be closely watched years of tensions with Trump as he takes on a up-to-date role, free from leadership responsibilities.
Like McConnell, many senators have taken an “advisory” approach, telling nominees what they need to do to be confirmed.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis says he’s told all the nominees he’s met so far: “Go out and see what the press is saying about you, find your top ten, and defuse the conversation by finding a good solution as to why it’s not happening.” . you.
Additionally, Tillis said, “you have to do well on the committee.”
