Many of President-elect Trump's second-term Cabinet choices have had their scheduled confirmation hearings postponed, with Senate committees citing unresolved documents.
Hearings for Doug Collins, the nominee to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, the nominee to be Secretary of the Interior, were held Tuesday as part of an ambitious effort by the Trump transition team and Senate Republicans. It was planned. Approve Trump's Cabinet.
However, it was delayed at the last minute. This resulted in two of the three hearings scheduled for Tuesday being postponed, leaving only one hearing for Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth that day.
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Some of President-elect Trump's candidates include governors and others. Doug Burgum and Kristi Noem have had their confirmation hearings delayed. (Getty Images)
On Wednesday, confirmations were made for Energy Secretary nominee Chris Wright, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, CIA Director nominee John Ratcliffe, Transportation Secretary nominee Sean Duffy, and Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio. Another important hearing for Secretary Trump took place. A speech by Homeland Security candidate Gov. Kristi Noem (R.S.D.) has been postponed.
Sources said Noem submitted all required documents in a timely manner, but the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is still waiting on the FBI.
Despite the hearing changes, President Trump's transition says there will be no delay in confirming his team. “There will be no delays, the approval process will be smooth, and documents will be delivered quickly to ensure that President Trump can implement the policies the American people have asked of him from day one,” said Taylor Rogers, transition spokeswoman for President Trump and Vance. It has been submitted.” statement.
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President-elect Trump has selected Governor Kristi Noem to lead DHS. (Getty Images)
Each postponed hearing will have a new date, with Burkum's hearing set for Thursday and Noem's hearing set for Friday. However, Collins' hearing will not be held until next Tuesday, the day after President Trump's inauguration.
According to Fox News, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee had not received the FBI report on Collins as of Monday afternoon. However, all other required documents had been sent to the committee.
A committee aide told Fox News that the delay was not Collins' fault, stressing that Collins submitted everything by the deadline.
“Congressman Doug Collins has submitted all documents in a timely manner and has been transparent and proactive with the committee,” Committee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) said in a statement Monday. Ta. “At this time, the FBI has not completed a customary background check on Congressman Collins. In accordance with long-standing practice, the committee should be given an opportunity to review Congressman Collins' FBI file prior to his confirmation hearing. I expect the FBI to complete the review, which needs to be done quickly so the committee can move forward with its role in evaluating presidential nominees. ”
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Rep. Doug Collins' Tuesday hearing has been postponed. (Erin Scottpool, via Getty Images)
The hearings, which were postponed this week, include Tulsi Gabbard, the nominee for director of national intelligence, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York, a candidate for U.N. ambassador, and Brooke, a candidate for agriculture secretary. It also includes other hearings that have not yet been scheduled. Rollins et al.
Documents have been determined to explain why confirmation hearings have been delayed or not scheduled, with Republicans blaming bureaucracy for delays in processing paperwork.
A source told Fox News that Senate Republicans and President Trump's transition are doing everything in their power to do so, but the document process may fall victim to bureaucratic hurdles, given that the federal government has been hit by two recent days of heavy snow. He said that it has become.
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The FBI emblem is displayed on a podium before a press conference at FBI headquarters in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
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Senate Democrats say it will be difficult for Trump to get his nominee approved on Inauguration Day. “We know he wants to do that, but it will be difficult given the delays,” they told FOX News Digital.
One Republican official on the committee told Fox News Digital that waiting for paperwork is “frustrating.” The committee has also struggled to communicate with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics regarding candidate documents. The official added that at times the media appeared to have more information than the commission itself.
