Senate leaders have scheduled 15 confirmation hearings this week in an effort to get key members of President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration in place as soon as possible.
The activity begins Tuesday, with former Georgia Republican Rep. Doug Collins set to appear before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee for consideration as the next Veterans Affairs Secretary. Collins has received generally positive assessments from Republicans and Democrats and is expected to be easily confirmed for the new role.
Other nominees will face a rockier path. Just a few minutes after Collins’ hearing begins, and just one floor away in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, controversial Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth will face questioning from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
His path to office could be more difficult, given the numerous controversies surrounding the former Fox News host’s personal life and his lack of Defense Department leadership experience.
Several nominees on the slate for next week could be voted on before the inauguration, set for Jan. 20. If that happens, Trump could reenter the White House with at least a few of his new Cabinet picks already in place and ready for work on day one.
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Senate Veterans’ Affairs — 9 a.m. — 106 Dirksen
VA Secretary Nomination
The committee will consider the nomination of former Rep. Doug Collins to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary.
Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — G-50 Dirksen
Defense Secretary Nomination
The committee will consider the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be the next Defense Department secretary.
House Veterans’ Affairs — 10:30 a.m. — 360 Cannon
Organizational Meeting
Committee members will approve rules and procedures for the coming session.
Wednesday, Jan. 15
Senate Homeland Security — 9 a.m. — 342 Dirksen
Homeland Security Secretary Nomination
The committee will consider the nomination of Kristi Noem to be the next Homeland Security secretary.
Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — 419 Dirksen
Secretary of State Nomination
The committee will consider the nomination of former Sen. Marco Rubio to be the next secretary of state.
Senate Select Intelligence — 10 a.m. — G-50 Dirksen
CIA Director Nomination
The committee will consider the nomination of John Ratcliffe to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Thursday, Jan. 16
Senate Foreign Relations — 10:30 a.m. — 419 Dirksen
UN Representative Nomination
The committee will consider the nomination of former Rep. Elise Stefanik to be the next U.S. representative to the United Nations.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
