Senate braces for showdown over Trumps nominees
The Senate is barreling toward a showdown over President Trump’s latest Cabinet shuffle, with three critical departments looking for new leaders and more that could follow.
Republicans are preparing for a weeks-long battle as they try to confirm CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be secretary of State and CIA deputy director Gina Haspel to succeed him.
Haspel’s nomination in particular is controversial, and the GOP has little margin for error given Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) opposition to both of Trump’s picks.
“I mean that's going to take a lot of floor time,” Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the No. 3 Senate Republican, told The Hill. “Who knows how long and how much the Democrats are going to want to weigh in with some of those. But it will for sure be time consuming. That's not going away.”
Senators also will need to consider Ronny Jackson, the top White House physician, to replace David Shulkin as Department of Veterans Affairs secretary.
GOP senators have largely remained mum over Jackson’s nomination, which has come under scrutiny given the physician’s lack of experience in running a large bureaucratic organization.
“I've never met him, don't know him. And what I do know does suggest that he needs to demonstrate that he has the qualifications, the capabilities despite the lack of experience,” Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, told NPR.
Nominations need just a simple majority to clear the Senate. But with a fragile 51-seat grip on the chamber, Republicans have no room for error.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/382035-senate-braces-for-showdown-over-trumps-nominees?userid=229233
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