Traffic jams are expected to occur in the Senate soon as the confirmation race for President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees begins.
That means nothing will happen until President-elect Trump takes office on January 20th.
Yes, there will be many Trump supporters in attendance at the various inaugural balls around town.
But once the inaugural celebrations at the Capitol are over, the Senate gets down to business. A small number of committees are already coordinating schedules for various nominations to be sent to the floor, or “raise” with the potential to be sent to the floor. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has already scheduled a meeting to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) as secretary of state on January 20th at 3:15 p.m. And if tradition holds, the Senate will confirm at least some of Trump’s nominees within just hours of Trump taking the oath of office.
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Let history be our guide.
The Senate confirmed President Trump’s Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly on the night of January 20, 2017. The next approval was not until January 31, 2017. That person was Elaine Chao, wife of former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who became Secretary of Transportation.
In 2021, the Senate confirmed one of President Biden’s nominees shortly after he took office. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines was first confirmed as a Biden nominee on the evening of January 20, 2021. The first full Cabinet-level vote did not occur until January 22, when the Senate confirmed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The coming weeks will be filled with confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominees, but the pace at which they are approved and sworn into office will be quite different. (All photos from Getty Images)
So while everyone is trying to squeeze into their tuxedos on Monday night, keep an eye out for the Senate likely voting on one or two nominees on the night of January 20th.
Fox has been told that Rubio may be among the most likely candidates because of his high profile in the Senate and his bipartisan support. Another possibility is CIA director candidate John Ratcliffe. The Senate previously confirmed Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence during the first Trump administration. He was also a well-known figure in Congress, serving as a Republican congressman from Texas. His hearing will be held tomorrow.
Frankly, ambitious timelines for quickly approving multiple candidates can be difficult.
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The Senate Energy Committee had to postpone Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s confirmation hearing scheduled for Tuesday from Tuesday to Thursday due to administrative delays. Doug Collins, the nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, is uncontroversial. He is a former Republican congressman from Georgia. However, Tuesday’s confirmation hearing was postponed until next week. Collins may have been one of the people who was immediately identified.
Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi is another candidate who could win confirmation relatively quickly. Her hearings are Wednesday and Thursday. So what will next week be like for her? Unclear.
But let’s examine the Senate’s record of confirming President Biden’s nominees and consider that it runs counter to expectations for the new Trump administration.
Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi is one of the few Trump nominees to enjoy relatively quick confirmation, although delays in voting are not uncommon. (Mandel Gann/AFP via Getty Images)
After Lloyd Austin, the Senate confirmed Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on January 25, 2021 and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on January 26, 2021. Most ministers were not approved until February or March. The Senate did not confirm Interior Secretary Deb Haaland until March 15, 2021, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra until March 18, 2021, and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh until March 22, 2021.
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All candidates must pass a public hearing. Committees have different rules for how to send nominations to the floor. So that can also take some time. Depending on opposition and attendance issues, some candidates could be held in committee. A discussion may then occur on the floor.
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If Democrats filibuster their nominees, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S., may need to take procedural steps to break the filibuster. The process alone to trigger a procedural vote to break the filibuster will take three days. Even if the Senate breaks the filibuster, senators could drag out debate over the nominee for a day or two if the nominee’s opponents remain relenting.
In February 2017, Mike Pence became the first vice president to break a tie with Cabinet approval. It was to confirm former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
In other words, floor time is invaluable. There are various legislative “elapsed times” for when the Senate can take certain procedural votes to advance a nominee. That’s why the Senate took a procedural vote on DeVos’ nomination at 7 a.m. in February 2017. The Senate also approved the confirmation of then-Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price around 2 a.m. one morning.
Mike Pence was the first vice president to require a vote to break a tie on confirmation by a Cabinet secretary — former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
And even other key candidates for the administration, such as Pete Hoekstra for ambassador to Canada and Mike Huckabee for ambassador to Israel, have failed to land. More than 800 positions require Senate confirmation.
To speed things up, the Senate could approve some uncontroversial nominees “in bulk.” That means the Senate will approve both nominees to ensure there are no objections. If there are no nominees, the Senate creates a list and approves a group of nominees at once.
However, this is a long and tedious process. It will take months to confirm the various positions within the Trump administration. It consumes hours of floor time. It is the most precious thing in the Senate. Trump’s bid for confirmation comes as the Senate attempts to finalize a time agreement and amendments to pass the Laken-Reilly Act and a bill imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest warrant. I want you to pay attention to what is happening inside.
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This is a monster process. And it can take early mornings, late nights, and even weekend sessions to resolve the issue.
Chad Pergrum currently serves as the Senior Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based in Washington, DC.
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