Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told his caucus to hold back when it comes to confirmation hearings starting this week for some of President-elect Trump’s top nominees.
A Senate Democratic source told Fox News Digital that Schumer said during a caucus lunch last week that the hearing would be an opportunity to examine Trump’s choices and ask questions about the president-elect’s policies. spoke.
In particular, Democratic leaders told the party they needed to press their candidates on how specifically they would help deliver on some of the things President Trump promised during his campaign. the official said.
Senate Republicans begin holding confirmation hearings to help President Trump achieve his ambitious goals
Schumer told Democrats not to go easy on candidate Trump. (Reuters)
Schumer and Democrats say confirmation hearings will mark Trump’s choices on issues important to this group as both parties compete for working-class Americans who have been the key vote-setter in the past few elections He believes it is a great opportunity. To the source.
He added that Democrats will not hold back when it comes to candidates’ backgrounds. The caucus could use this as an opportunity to set the stage for future missteps by Trump appointees, in which case they could say they warned their colleagues early on.
Confirmation hearings begin Tuesday at 9 a.m. Doug Collins will be considered to become Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The hearing for Pete Hegseth, who will be President Trump’s Secretary of Defense, will be held from 9:30 a.m.
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A grueling week of confirmation hearings begins Tuesday. (Reuters)
Other Trump nominees appearing before the committee this week include Homeland Security Secretary nominee Gov. Kristi Noem, R.S.D. Chris Wright, CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, becomes Secretary of Energy. The Secretary of State is Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida).
Republicans have a 53-seat majority in the Senate, so they may be able to confirm Trump’s selection even without Democratic support. That is, if they can get every Republican to support their choice of the next president.
However, each candidate must go through confirmation hearings, during which lawmakers from both parties ask questions. A number of Democrats have already announced their intention to question Mr. Hegseth about a variety of allegations, including financial mismanagement and sexual assault, which he denies.
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Mr. Trump has set ambitious goals, including swift confirmation of nominees. (Getty Images)
Depending on the answers, the hearing could impact whether a candidate is ultimately approved.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, made her concerns about Hegseth clear. “I am deeply concerned about a number of aspects of your actions and rhetoric that demonstrate that you are unfit to lead the Department of Defense,” she wrote in a letter to candidates last week.
“Your appointment as Secretary of Defense would be detrimental to our national security and disrespectful to our diverse service members who sacrifice so much for our country,” she said.
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Mr. Warren has announced his intention to thoroughly interrogate Mr. Hegseth. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Sen. Jack Reed (DR.I.), ranking member of the military branch, is also expected to ask questions about areas of concern. “Today’s meeting did not resolve my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers,” he said in a statement after meeting with him last week.
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“Like all candidates for this important position, Mr. Hegseth must undergo the same high level of scrutiny as previous candidates for Secretary of Defense.”
Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation process has been one of the most closely watched, but with a few exceptions, such as his colleague Marco Rubio, who several Democrats plan to support, Democrats have not been able to secure many of Mr. Trump’s nominees. It is expected that the pressure will continue.
