This week’s Senate confirmation hearings will put Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees in the hot seat as lawmakers grill them about their controversial histories and ties to the incoming president.
These hearings, which will determine whether the incoming president’s hand-picked C-suite staff can join his administration, kick off on Tuesday and will run all week.
Each of Trump’s picks will be effectively on trial before the senators in the committees overseeing the federal agencies to which each nominee is applying.
The hearings have live audiences, are televised, generate massive interest and conveniently serve as a great platform from which a Republican or Democrat lawmaker sitting comfortably behind a desk can lob incendiary questions set to ignite debate about the nominee’s sometimes lurid past.
The cast includes multiple former Fox News personalities, several lawmakers, a couple of governors, politicos and corporate execs.
Controversial stories potentially implicating some of these nominees have floated for months since the president-elect announced his selections after the election.
These reports have been marinating in the minds of some lawmakers and – given the importance of these Cabinet roles – the senators will be eager to probe these sensitive areas to sniff out any bad apples.
Before Trump takes the oath of office, he will get an opportunity to watch his picks stand up to Senate scrutiny and see if they have what it takes to look good on TV while defending his agenda to the bitter end.
The Senate currently has a 53 – 47 Republican majority, meaning Trump’s selections do have a slight advantage as each nominee needs a simple majority of 51 affirmative votes to get confirmed.
Still, many Republicans have been vocal about their disapproval of the president-elect’s selections, so nominees have been busy preparing their defenses.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks after a meeting with Republicans in Congress at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S. January 8, 2025. His Cabinet nominations begin their hearings before the Senate this week
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Attorney General Pam Bondi meets with incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Charles Grassley. Trump replaced his original nominee, former Congressman Matt Gaetz after Gaetz withdrew his nomination following a House ethics investigation into sexual misconduct.
Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth leaves a meeting with Republican Senators at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. He has been dogged with reports of alleged sexual misconduct and drinking problems
Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth
Most well known for appearing on Fox News for the last decade Hegseth is one of the most controversial Cabinet selections.
A Princeton graduate who also served in the Army and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, the 44-year-old handsome former host has drawn lots of attention for a number of reports indicating his sexual past and drinking habits.
These eye-raising reports include accusations of rape, getting drunk on the job and other mischief. An email from Hegseth’s mother condemning her son of being an ‘abuser of women’ also surfaced after Trump announced he wanted the veteran to run the Pentagon.
Hegseth, meanwhile, has denied wrongdoing in the allegations against him.
The father of seven will be grilled by the Senate Armed Services Committee where GOP Sens. Joni Ernst and Deb Fischer – in addition to every Democrat – are sure to probe Hegseth’s controversial claims with women.
This will surely be Trump’s most difficult Cabinet nominee confirmation.
Hegseth, 44, is seen by lawmakers as one of the more controversial picks
Hegseth has talked about dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the Pentagon
Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins
The former Georgia representative has been a staunch Trump ally for years after defending the Republican during his impeachment hearings.
Collins served as a Navy chaplain before later joining the Air Force and getting deployed briefly to Iraq.
The former congressman will sit before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee where he is expected to receive support.
Department of the Interior, Doug Burgum
The former North Dakota governor and presidential candidate became friendly with Trump after dropping his White House bid in December 2023.
Known for being a savvy businessman before taking on public service, Burgum appears to be broadly liked in the Senate.
Having overseen North Dakota’s vast preserves and resources, the nominee should be able to handle questioning from the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem
Another governor from the Dakotas, Kristi Noem, a former congresswoman and outspoken MAGA supporter will sit before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday.
The 53-year-old mother of three was once presumed to be a vice presidential nominee for the president-elect before JD Vance was selected.
Noem stirred controversy earlier this year when describing how she executed her dog with a gun in her biography which was released in May 2024.
She could get asked about that dog dust-up and her pro-gun attitude during her hearing.
Attorney General, Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 – 2019. Known as a fierce MAGA loyalist, Bondi garnered the president-elect’s favor when she supported some election interference claims in the wake of the 2020 election.
She also helped advise the president in 2020 after leaving office in Florida.
The former Florida AG will sit before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Sen.
Chuck Grassley, 91, the chairman of the panel overseeing Bondi’s hearings, has expressed excitement for her nomination.
‘I’m enthused with her work as Attorney General of Florida and what she’s done as a prosecutor,’ he said earlier this year.
‘I think we’re going to find the Justice Department prosecuting and not being used as a political weapon against political enemies.’
Bondi was notably nominated after former Rep. Matt Gaetz dropped his nomination to be AG due to increasing pressure from senators over an Ethics Committee report outlining how he paid for sex and did drugs while employed by the government.
Secretary of State, Marco Rubio
The longtime Florida senator who at one time ran against Donald Trump for the presidency is seen as a shoe-in for his nomination to lead the State Department.
The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio has long been respected for his understanding of Latin America and has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – the panel which is overseeing his confirmation – since joining Congress in 2011.
Rubio, once a Trump critic, has floated back into the incoming presidents inner orbit. His past critiques of the president-elect may come into focus during the hearings.
CIA, John Ratcliffe
John Ratcliffe served briefly as Director of National Intelligence under Trump’s first administration from 2020 – 2021.
A former attorney and congressman from Texas, Ratcliffe was an outspoken supporter of the president’s first administration while serving in the House.
He will sit for a hearing with the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.
Department of Transportation, Sean Duffy
A former Wisconsin congressman, Duffy knows his way around the federal government.
After retiring from Congress to spend more time with his family, Duffy began appearing on Fox News before getting a show on Fox Business.
The father of nine got to know Trump through media appearances on Fox, where the incoming president surely watched him.
Duffy, who has been criticized for his lack of transportation-related experience, will sit before the Senate Commerce Committee overseen by Chairman Ted Cruz on Wednesday.
A fun fact: Duffy first gained fame in the 90’s after appearing on the reality TV show ‘Real World,’ which is also where he met his wife.
Department of Energy, Chris Wright
One of the lesser-known selections made by Trump, Chris Wright serves as the CEO of one of America’s largest fracking companies.
His background in American energy embodies Trump’s ‘drill, baby, drill,’ attitude. Critics see his ties to the industry as a potential pitfall for the oil exec.
He, like Doug Burgum, will face the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for his confirmation.
Treasury Department, Scott Bessent
Investor and hedge fund manager Scott Bessent is known to be a supporter of Trump’s policies, including the introduction of tariffs and has advocated for tax reform and deregulation in order to spur more bank lending and energy production.
Bessent, 62, lives primarily in South Carolina with his husband and two kids.
His experience dealing with financial markets is seen as a strength, though lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee will wonder about how he will untangle himself from the industry should he be confirmed.
An added bonus, he is said to be friendly with the British royal family.
Office of Management and Budget, Russel Vought
Russell Vought ran the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during Trump’s first term in office.
Known for his conservative economic ideology, he will be tasked with filling out the many executive agencies with workers while trying to manage their spending.
Vought will sit for confirmation before the Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday.
Russell Vought, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of the Office of Management & Budget Nominee walks to meetings at the U.S. Capitol on December 19, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, founder and chief executive officer of Key Square Group LP, walks to a meeting on Capitol Hill on January 9, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Trump’s EPA chief nominee Lee Zeldin
Housing and Urban Development, Scott Turner
Scott Turner ran Trump’s White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during the Republican’s first term.
Turner, 52, is a former NFL player and was responsible for helping implement ‘Opportunity Zones’ during the first Trump administration, which were areas deemed worthy of federal tax incentives.
Turner will sit before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.
Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin
A former congressman from New York, while in office Lee Zeldin was a vocal Trump supporter.
He has been vocal about skepticism of climate change, a record sure to draw scrutiny from Democrats.
He will sit before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Thursday.
