We are just two weeks away from Donald Trump’s inauguration – for the second time. The 119th Congress has been sworn in and Senate confirmation hearings are scheduled to begin on January 14 with Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
Trump’s nominees have already faced significant scrutiny (#BecauseTrump), so I thought it might be compelling to compare how President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees were treated by the Senate (which was then voted 50-48 by his own party, plus two independents was checked). (who mostly worked with the Democrats) about what Trump’s life was (and ultimately will be).
The first thing to note is that all but two of these Biden’s nominees were confirmed. Neera Tanden’s nomination to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget was withdrawn on March 2, 2021, after significant opposition in the confirmation process. And acting Labor Minister Julie Su’s nomination for the role has largely stalled, although not for lack of trying.
READ MORE: Neera Tanden got the Clemenza treatment from socialist godfather Bernie Sanders
Of those confirmed, only 2023 were 50-49). Deb Haaland barely made it (51-40) as Interior Secretary on March 15, 2021, but that included four Republican “yes” votes, offsetting three Democratic abstentions.
However, it is worth noting that none of Biden’s candidates received “no” votes from Democrats.
The rumor mill continues to churn: Sources: GOP Senate leader gives Trump status report on Hegseth Nom
Okay, how did the votes fall? Trump’s nominees in his first term? This was, of course, the 115th Congress, and Republicans initially had a 52-48 majority. One candidate (Andy Puzder for Labor Secretary) was withdrawn when it became clear that he did not have sufficient Republican support. Another, John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence, was initially withdrawn after his nomination in 2019 to replace Dan Coats, but then resubmitted in February 2020 and ultimately failed 49-44 in May 2020.
Mick Mulvaney barely managed to win the post of director of the Office of Management and Budget by a vote of 51 to 49, while John McCain (R) joined the Democrats and voted against him. In fact, six Republicans voted against at least one Trump nominee, with Susan Collins (ME), Rand Paul (KY), and McCain (AZ) each voting against two, and Lisa Murkowski (AK), Ben Sasse (NE), and Cory Gardner (CO) every opponent.
Ultimately, while there were several cases in which Democrats voted “yes” to Trump’s election, there were also several cases in which Republicans voted “no.” Unlike the 2021 Democrats, the 2017 Republicans were willing to defy their party leader/president.
It’s eight years later – and in some ways a very different world. One suspects that there will be fewer cases of Republicans voting against Trump’s nominee this time. Will Democrats follow suit? Or prove even more resistant to the Trump picks this time? I expect there will be more votes that are close to (or close to) the party line. The saving grace for Trump (and his candidates) is that Republicans have a 53-47 lead this time. And John Fetterman (D-PA) has signaled a willingness to step into the role of the recently retired Joe Manchin (I-WV), and could provide additional cushion.
