[epoch_component type=”live_update” section_title=”6 Senate Confirmation Hearings: What to Know” update_time=”2025-01-14T22:57″ inline_authors=”152868″ update_source=”” pinned=”false”]
Multiple Trump nominees will be questioned in Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday.
At 9:30 a.m., lawmakers will speak to Pam Bondi, Trump’s choice for U.S. attorney general and a replacement for his initial nominee, former Rep. Matt Gaetz. Both Democrat and Republican senators could ask Bondi about the so-called weaponization of the Department of Justice.
Sen. Marco Rubio will be in one of multiple hearings at 10 a.m. The secretary of state nominee’s hawkish stance on China and long tenure in Washington could make for a relatively smooth confirmation process. Democratic Whip Dick Durbin has already pledged to vote for the Senate Intelligence Committee veteran.
Also at 10 a.m., Trump’s selection for CIA director, John Ratcliffe, will appear for a nomination hearing. Like Rubio, he is one of the less controversial nominees. His concerns with Chinese espionage and his support for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) are among the topics that could come up.
Senators may grill Chris Wright, Trump’s prospective energy secretary, over his background in fracking and criticism of certain climate policies. While his hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m., Democrats and an independent on the committee slated to hold the hearing have sought to postpone it.
Sean Duffy is slated for another 10 a.m. hearing. Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Transportation could be questioned about the state of American road infrastructure as well as labor tensions involving the country’s longshoremen, a group the president-elect has courted.
At 1 p.m., members of the Senate will hear from Russ Vought, who is set to reprise his first-term role at the helm of the crucial, but little-known, Office of Management and Budget. Vought’s support for impoundment, which would give Congress less budgetary power, and his work on Project 2025 will likely come up.
A hearing for Department of Homeland Security secretary hopeful Kristi Noem was bumped from Wednesday’s schedule and will now take place on Jan. 17.
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