WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Four more of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks are set to go before senators Thursday after sparks flew during attorney general nominee Pam Bondi’s confirmation hearing.
Senate committees will hear from Eric Scott Turner, who hopes to lead the Housing and Urban Development Department; Lee Zeldin, who was nominated to lead the Environmental Protection Agency; Scott Bessent, who was picked to lead the Department of Treasury; and Doug Burgum, former governor of North Dakota, who was nominated for Interior secretary.
Trump’s outsider Cabinet picks are rapidly gaining support for confirmation
Bondi and Rubio face Senate committees
On Wednesday, Bondi accused Democrats of bullying tactics after Senators grilled her over her role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, her views on FBI director nominee Kash Patel, and if she’ll launch retaliatory investigations into Department of Justice officials who prosecuted Trump.
Republicans used the occasion to accuse the DOJ of being weaponized under President Joe Biden to go after Trump unfairly. Democrats zeroed in on Bondi’s staunch support of Trump, raising concerns he might want her to go after the president-elect’s adversaries.
Bondi also faced questions about pardoning people charged in connection to the Jan. 6 attacks.
Trump’s Cabinet picks are set for Senate hearings. Here’s the schedule
Meanwhile, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio faced the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday. He told his senate colleagues that China is “the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted.”
Focusing on China, Rubio said the U.S. has lost deterrence strength, which he believes factored into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also spoke about working with Mexico to combat drug cartels.
Rubio received praise from both sides and is expected to see a smooth confirmation.
Upcoming confirmation hearings
Another potentially tense hearing is expected as Kristi Noem, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, appears before Friday’s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Meanwhile, hearings are not yet scheduled for other Trump picks, including some of the most contentious:
Tulsi Gabbard, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services Department
Howard Lutnick, Commerce Department
Linda McMahon, Department of Education
Kash Patel, FBI
Brooke Rollins, Department of Agriculture
Elise Stefanik, U.N. ambassador
