WASHINGTON — The destiny of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cupboard continues to be unclear after Republican senators spent a lot of December fastidiously dodging questions on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views on vaccines, accusations of sexual misconduct towards Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard’s 2017 assembly with then-President Bashar Assad of Syria.
Whereas some GOP senators have indicated they’re all-in for Trump’s picks, others have withheld assist, for now, particularly on a few of his extra controversial nominees. The dynamic is injecting uncertainty into the method as Republicans put together to take the Senate majority in January with a four-seat margin and as Trump aggressively challenges them to substantiate his Cupboard instantly.
It’s commonplace for senators to attend till after affirmation hearings to publicly announce a choice. However Republicans are underneath extra strain than typical as Trump and his allies clarify that they are going to confront senators who don’t fall in line.
“You only have control of the Senate because of Donald Trump,” the president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., warned throughout a media look this month. “Without that, you’d be relegated to insignificance.”
There was one casualty of the method to date — former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who withdrew from rivalry as lawyer normal after senators relayed personal issues. However Trump has enthusiastically stood by the remainder, together with Kennedy for secretary of Well being and Human Providers, Hegseth for secretary of Protection and Gabbard for director of nationwide intelligence.
With hearings beginning by mid-January, earlier than Trump is even inaugurated, senators will quickly need to determine how intently they are going to scrutinize the nominees and whether or not they’re prepared to vote towards any of them. Republicans may have a 53-47 majority, so Trump can’t lose greater than three votes on any nomination if Democrats are united in opposition.
The end result of the affirmation course of, and the extent of dissent within the Senate, will seemingly set the tone for Trump’s presidency and his relationship with Congress, which was continuously tumultuous throughout his first time period. He typically clashed with the Senate, particularly, however has signaled he expects Republican senators to be extra compliant this time round.
“It’s not about putting yeses on the board, it’s about keeping nos off the board,” mentioned Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, certainly one of Trump’s high allies within the Senate, who speaks with him continuously.
Whereas most Senate Republicans have scrambled to show as a lot loyalty to Trump as doable, a handful have made clear that they’re prepared to defend the physique’s “advise and consent” function. Among the many senators to observe are reasonable Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and incoming freshman Sen. John Curtis of Utah.
“Anybody who wants to give me heat for doing my job, bring it on,” Curtis mentioned Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” when requested about vetting Trump’s nominees. “This is my job. It’s my constitutional responsibility.”
Nonetheless, even reasonable senators have shied away from immediately criticizing Trump’s picks. And never a single Republican has gone on the report towards a nominee.
A number of of Trump’s picks are anticipated to sail to affirmation, even perhaps with some Democratic votes. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has indicated he’ll assist Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of State and Rep. Elise Stefanik for United Nations ambassador, as have a couple of different Democrats.
For the extra controversial nominees, although, occasion unity will probably be key.
Hegseth has confronted specific strain from Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, herself a fight veteran who has labored to handle sexual assault within the navy. She has met with Hegseth a number of occasions, and has not but mentioned she is going to assist him. She may have an opportunity to query him, publicly and face-to-face, in a Senate Armed Providers Committee affirmation listening to that’s scheduled for Jan. 14.
Although a listening to for Gabbard has not but been set, senators may also have the ability to query her publicly and in a categorized setting about her journey to Syria after the U.S had severed diplomatic relations. Gabbard has defended the journey, saying it’s necessary to open dialogue, however critics hear echoes of Russia-fueled speaking factors in her commentary.