WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Republican leaders are actively cultivating confirmations from President Donald Trump's Cabinet officials. Officially, on Wednesday afternoon, former President Barack Obama's cabinet surpassed the confirmed pace in 2009.
The feat is even more impressive considering the fact that Republicans, who have a majority of 53 seats this year in the upper chamber of Congress, have fewer than they did in 2009 at the beginning of Obama's first term. . Democrats actually began Obama's first term in the US Senate with the Filibuster Proof Supermajority, which has 60 seats. It officially declined when Republican Scott Brown won a shocking special election in Massachusetts and defeated the Democrats' supermajority. But they started with a majority of filibuster proof at the Chamber of Commerce. Neither party has been that close since.
This pace of cabinet confirmation by the GOP Senate has now officially overtaken Obama's term, Trump's first term and now former President Joe Biden's term. Senate majority leader John Tune (R-SD) celebrated the news in a statement to Breitbart News.
“Senate Republicans are checking Trump's cabinet faster than the previous three administrations, but all Democrats are committed to are obstruction and delay,” Tune said. “We can introduce a full team of President Trump as soon as possible, secure borders, strengthen national security, and unleash America's energy.”
Senate majority Whip John Baraso (R-WY) was also uplifted.
“Senate Republicans are sprinting to confirm President Trump's cabinet,” Barrasso told Breitbart News. “To implement our winning agenda, we need these highly qualified candidates. Today, the Republican-led Senate has confirmed the 18th delegate of President Trump's Cabinet, which is Democrats. The leading senators have broken the number of candidates confirmed under President Obama and Biden. Americans voted in a bold new direction in Washington, which is what President Trump and Senate Republicans offer. It's about being there.”
As of Wednesday, when former Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) was confirmed as Trump's Small Business Administrator (SBA) administrator, the Senate GOP majority had 18 Trump's Cabinet members in 31 days. I've checked. February 19, 2009, as of today in history – the Senate Democrats' supermajority confirmed only Obama's 17 cabinet members. It took Republicans to reach 18, with Trump and a slimmer majority in the Senate, for nearly a week.
Also, by comparison, four years ago, the Senate Democrat majority had confirmed seven Biden cabinet members by this point in 2021. The majority of Democrats in 2021 for 56 days reached 18 confirmed Biden Cabinet candidates.
The 18 officials that the US Senate has already confirmed Trump at the cabinet or cabinet level are Loffler, Commerce Secretary Howard Rutnick, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondy, Homeland Security Secretary Christinoem, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bescent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum, Chris Wright Energy Secretary Brooke Rollins, Director of CIA John Ratcliffe, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, Transport Secretary Shawn Duffy, Executive Director of Management and Budget Russ Russ Vert, and Veterans Secretary Doug Collins.
A handful of Trump's cabinets and cabinet-level picks have yet to be confirmed. The Secretary of Education is Linda McMahon, ambassador to U.S. UN-designated Elise Stefanik, US trade representative Jamieson Greer, and Labor Secretary-designated Lori Chavez Deremer are still unconfirmed remaining cabinets or cabinets. The only remaining cabinet or cabinet level pick is the pick of the level. However, the Senate is currently running each nomination process-by-process. FBI Director Trump's choice Kash Patel is also in the final stages of the US Senate confirmation process, but FBI Directors are cabinet-level positions despite their crucial importance to national security and law enforcement agencies. It is not considered.
