It's shaping up to be a busy day on Capitol Hill as President-elect Trump's cabinet appointments make their case to senators as Congress rushes to finalize major legislation to pass.
In the House of Representatives, lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the annual defense policy bill known as the National National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The giant bill is typically a bipartisan effort, but this year's bill includes Republican-led amendments related to culture war issues that have sparked opposition among Democrats.
In the Senate, some of Trump's most contentious nominees for his administration, including Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, Pete Hegseth for defense secretary and Kash Patel for FBI director, face some skepticism. He is trying to persuade senators, including several Republicans.
Patel has threatened to use the FBI's powers to scrutinize media outlets critical of the incoming Trump administration, sending chills across the media.
And both chambers have just nine days to reach a deal on government funding and disaster relief and pass legislation before the Dec. 20 shutdown deadline.
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