The Senate's confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump's controversial Cabinet nominations are back in full swing Thursday.
The committee will hear from candidates seeking to lead the Treasury, Interior, Housing and Urban Development, and Environmental Protection Agency during President Trump's second term. They include Trump's main 2024 rival, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who was nominated for the Interior Department, and Scott Bessent, the billionaire money manager who will lead the Treasury Department. It will be done.
With Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 just days away, the president-elect and his allies are working to secure Cabinet nominations in a chamber where Republicans currently hold a majority of 53 seats. But with margins this close, even a small number of Republican supporters could complicate the path to approval.
Here's what you need to know about Thursday's confirmation hearing.
Doug Burgum
The former North Dakota governor was scheduled to appear before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday, but Burgum's first hearing was postponed to Thursday at 10 p.m. It is facing opposition from the Democratic Party.
Democratic Party requested a delay On Monday, it said it had not yet received Burgum's financial disclosures, ethics agreement or other documents. The committee's chairman, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), postponed the hearing “to ensure transparency,” but blamed the Office of Administrative Ethics for the administrative delays.
Burgum ran against Trump in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, but after failing to gain support in opinion polls and ending the long presidential campaign, he endorsed Trump. He later became a so-called veepstakes candidate to be President Trump's running mate.
Burgum is expected to play a key role in fulfilling President Trump's “drill, baby, drill” promise in his second term, leading the department that manages the country's natural resources and much of its federal land. He will be supervising. President Trump also appointed Burgum to lead the new National Energy Council.
Lee Zeldin
Former New York State Representative Lee Zeldin (R) will appear before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee at 10 a.m. to lead the Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency.
President Trump has indicated that his second administration intends to roll back environmental regulations. In nominating Zeldin, the president-elect said his nomination would “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions enacted in a way that unlocks the power of American business while maintaining the highest environmental standards.” I promised.
Zeldin served in Congress from 2015 to 2023 and was an outspoken defender of Trump during the then-president's first impeachment trial. In 2022, he left the House to contest the seat against New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), but lost in the blue state, although she came closer than some expected.
He doesn't have much of a track record on environmental policy, but his voting history in Congress is received a rating of 14% From the League of Conservative Voters.
scott turner
Scott Turner is an alumnus of the first Trump administration, where he served as executive director of the White House Council on Opportunity and Activation. This time, he is on track to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
before entering politics Turner served in the Texas House of Representatives and played nine seasons in the NFL. He most recently took the helm of the Center for Educational Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a pro-Trump think tank. Linda McMahon, President Trump's pick for Secretary of Education, serves as chair of the AFPI Board of Directors.
Turner will follow in the footsteps of Ben Carson, who led HUD during President Trump's first term and was instrumental in pushing for budget cuts to several programs. Many of these proposals are likely to be reintroduced in the coming years.
HUD oversees national policies and programs that address housing needs. Turner is scheduled to appear before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee at 10 a.m.
scott bessent
President Trump nominates Bessent, billionaire and CEO of hedge fund Key Square Group, to lead economic team as Treasury secretary, overseeing government agencies responsible for U.S. financial security. did.
Mr. Bessent has supported Democratic presidential campaigns in the past and worked for Democratic megadonor George Soros before starting his own company. He is now a key figure in the Republican Party's orbit and served as an economic advisor to the Trump campaign.
Bessent will be the first openly LGBTQ Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate under a Republican president.
His nomination comes as Trump has called for significant tariffs and a change in the U.S. approach to global trade, although Trump's public announcement of Bessent did not include any mention of tariffs. Ta.
The top candidates for Treasury will appear before the Senate Finance Committee at 10:30 a.m.
coming friday
At 9 a.m., South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R), a candidate for Secretary of Homeland Security, appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
