The 119th Congress is upon us and confirmation battles with President-elect Trump’s nominees will take center stage.
Since Trump’s rapid decision-making, two candidates — former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) for attorney general and Chad Chronister for head of the Drug Enforcement Agency — have already withdrawn.
But some of his remaining proposals are controversial, and Republicans are hoping to avoid further mistakes as nominees storm the Capitol and move closer to their confirmation hearings and potentially their entry into the Senate.
Here are the top five confirmation fights you should watch.
Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi Gabbard is facing perhaps the toughest confirmation fight of any nominee the president-elect has put forward.
Gabbard, a former four-term Democratic representative from Hawaii, faced skepticism from parts of the GOP Senate conference for numerous reasons. Chief among them were her previous comments on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which appeared to echo talking points from Moscow, a meeting with now-exiled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in 2017, and her long tenure as a Democrat.
Adding to the problems is that they couldn’t impress Several Senate Republicans during meetings on Capitol Hill in December, at least a handful of whom were prepared to vote “no” on the floor – if their nomination gets that far.
“She is the most at risk of not being confirmed,” a Senate GOP aide told The Hill.
“There are things that will never change with her,” the adviser continued, pointing in particular to the problems in Syria and Russia. “She represents political views that are completely at odds with what the majority of conference participants hold.”
Trump’s allies have claimed she will emerge from her confirmation hearings in good shape to get the green delicate from the upper house.
“I haven’t heard anything about that,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said of a report suggesting that up to eight Republican members of the Senate are poised to vote against her. “There’s not a single ‘no’ on any of them [nominations] who said “no” from the Republican Party.”
“A lot of people say they want to talk to her, but that’s part of the advice and consent,” Mullin added.
Pete Hegseth
Just a few weeks ago, Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Pentagon chief appeared to be done and dusted, and Trump was preparing fallback options.
While his fortunes appear to have changed, the most hard step in Hegseth’s quest to become defense minister may still be ahead. His confirmation hearings are approaching, and the same issues that troubled him in December are sure to resurface in a very public setting.
The former Fox News host faced questions about a 2017 sexual assault allegation, his dealings with the veterans organizations he leads and his own alcohol consumption – as well as whether his background qualified him to face the huge to lead the Ministry of Defense operation. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing.
But with the support of Trump’s allies and ultimately Trump himself, Hegseth appears to be winning over key Republicans in the Senate. He held several meetings with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Senate’s first female combat veteran, who has since become friends with him.
“In the middle of last week it felt like the opposition to him was increasing. I think that has changed significantly,” said Senator Ted Cruz. (R-Texas) said on Dec. 11: “The momentum has shifted significantly in Pete’s direction. I think Pete will be vindicated.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Gabbard and Hegseth — along with the short-lived selection of Gaetz — had taken up much of the oxygen in December.
But that could change as confirmation hearings begin soon for other controversial nominees, with Kennedy at the top of the list.
The former independent presidential candidate nominated to lead the Health Ministry has long caused polarization over his views on vaccines.
He remains in solid shape heading into the novel year, as there has been little criticism of him from the Republicans who control his fate. But there are still landmines.
Kennedy has said little to reporters coming and going from meetings with senators, but told them before his first meeting on Dec. 15 that he fully supports the polio vaccine.
This came just days after it was revealed that Aaron Siri, a Kennedy ally, had asked the administration to reconsider its green delicate for the polio vaccine in 2022.
Between the report’s release and Kennedy’s comments, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who battled polio as a child, released a letter urging all Trump nominees to steer clear of skeptical talk about polio. Vaccine “keep away”. .
“The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives and fulfilled the promise of eradicating a terrible disease. Efforts to undermine public trust in proven remedies are not just uninformed – they are dangerous,” McConnell said in one opinion. “Anyone seeking Senate approval to serve in the new administration would do well to avoid even the appearance of association with such efforts.”
Kash Patel
Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist tapped to lead the FBI, has expressed powerful opposition to the FBI.
He has drawn up a list of those he calls “government thugs” – headed by outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland – who he says “must be held accountable and exposed in 2024.”
He has also stated that he plans to close the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington and “reopen it the next day as a museum of the Deep State.”
It’s possible that few, if any, Trump nominees have drawn stronger opposition from Democrats.
But none of that has stopped Senate Republicans from bringing up Patel’s background in his work on the House Intelligence Committee and as a federal prosecutor. Patel has also done himself a favor in recent weeks by impressing his members at meetings on the Hill.
“He’s done a good job in his sessions,” the Senate GOP aide said. “Very well prepared and emphasizes that he aims to end bad practices – not repeat them. He is charismatic and knowledgeable.”
Lori Chavez DeRemer
Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) occupies a very exclusive spot on this list, as it’s entirely possible that she could lose more Republican votes than most of the candidates mentioned above – and still receive bipartisan support , as several Democrats have signaled that they are ready to support her confirmation.
Chavez-DeRemer lost her bid for re-election in a contested seat, but was soon selected as Trump’s nominee to lead the Labor Department.
However, her choice initially came under fire for supporting the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a priority of Democrats and top labor groups. In fact, she was one of only three House Republicans to co-sponsor the bill, bolstering Democrats’ optimism.
“And as the original author of the PRO Act, I am pleased that Rep. Chavez-DeRemer is a co-sponsor of the bill I co-authored with Rep. Scott,” Sen. Patty Murray (R-Wash.) said when DeRemer was selected.
But for now, Republicans are holding their fire and giving Trump respect in the election. Mullin was the first Senate Republican to meet with her and compared her comments on the PRO Act to Kennedy’s on abortion (he is pro-choice).
“That she follows the will of the president of the United States and that she will carry out his agenda,” Mullin said. “She will also be confirmed.”
