You're hired! Here's who passed Congress' Trump cabinet test and how stormy their hearings were
2025-02-06
Category: political

As of Wednesday, 11 of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees have been successfully confirmed to their posts. While some, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sailed through – others, like Attorney General Pam Bondi saw their confirmation process marred with pointed confrontations, and deep dives into their personal lives, as was the case for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.  MARCO RUBIO: STATE Rubio, a longtime Florida senator from Miami, and the son of Cuban immigrants, enjoyed a relatively calm confirmation hearing when it came to interactions with lawmakers. However, several Code Pink protesters angry over what their shirts denoted as the "killing of children in Gaza" had to be removed from the room due to outbursts. The final protester shouted at Rubio in Spanish, to which the now-secretary remarked that his protesters are at-times bilingual. KASH PATEL ENRAGES ADAM SCHIFF IN CLINTONIAN BATTLE OVER WORD ‘WE’; JAN 6 SONG Rubio was confirmed unanimously 99-0. At the time, Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, was still lieutenant governor and had not been seated in Vice President JD Vance’s place.  PETE HEGSETH: DEFENSE Veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth laid a more contentious path through the confirmation process. Hegseth earned two Bronze Stars and several other medals while serving in the Army National Guard. He joined Fox News Channel in 2014 and resigned upon his Pentagon nomination. Questions arose about allegations he drank heavily at times and was abusive towards women. Several people in Hegseth’s orbit, including fellow Fox News personalities, rebuffed the claims against him. While Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., offered praise for Hegseth’s confirmation – later telling reporters he clearly answered every question put to him – other lawmakers didn’t view the nominee the same way. When protesters disrupted the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said they appeared to be from the "Chinese Communist [Party] front-group" Code Pink and upset about Hegseth’s support for Israel. "I support Israel's existential war in Gaza. I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that war as well," Cotton said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also grilled Hegseth about his qualifications to lead America’s troops. ZELDIN GRILLED IN CONFIRMATION HEARING "I do not believe that you can tell this committee or the people of America that you are qualified to lead them. I would support you as a spokesperson for the Pentagon," he said. Critics, including Fox News contributor Joe Concha claimed irony in the lawmaker’s grilling – as Trump previously dubbed Blumenthal "Da Nang Dick" after claims surfaced that Blumenthal had misrepresented his own military service during the Vietnam War. In the end, a 50-50 split brought on by GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining all Democrats in opposition led to Vance having to cast his first tie-breaking vote of the congressional session to confirm Hegseth.  DOUG BURGUM: INTERIOR Interior Secretary Doug Burgum received substantive Democratic support in his final confirmation vote of 80-17 last week. Three Democrats did not vote. His confirmation hearing’s tenor was also mixed, with fellow North Dakotan, Sen. John Hoeven, calling him the right man for the job. Some Democrats, including Sens. Catherine Cortez-Masto and Mazie Hirono, however, offered pointed questions about environmental issues and other concerns during the hearing. When Cortez-Masto asked about the Trump administration repealing EV credits, Burgum said he "support[s] economics and markets" and highlighted the comparatively high costs of electric vehicles. Burgum grew up in eastern North Dakota, near a grain elevator his grandfather operated. He reportedly met future Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in college and later "bet the farm" to invest a quarter million dollars in 1983 in a tech startup called Great Plains Software. He eventually became president of the company, which was purchased by Microsoft around the turn of the century. He served as North Dakota’s governor in recent years, briefly mounting a 2024 presidential bid before dropping out to endorse Trump.  SCOTT BESSENT: TREASURY South Carolina billionaire Scott Bessent was confirmed as Trump’s second-term Treasury secretary on Jan. 28. With the confirmation, Bessent became the highest ranking openly gay cabinet official in U.S. history. Bessent was born in Conway, S.C., just inland from the famous "Calabash" seafood area in North Carolina and resort city of Myrtle Beach, S.C. He previously worked for several global investment management companies for decades, notably including a stint as chief investment officer for Soros Fund Management; led by left-wing Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. His politics, however, appear to greatly differ from those of Soros himself – as Bessent once called Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act "'single most important economic issue of the day." During his confirmation process, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was a noted foil.&nbsp; Warren reportedly sent Bessent more than 100 written questions on subjects spanning from housing to financial oversight ahead of his testimony, according to PBS. He was confirmed by a relatively bipartisan 68-29, with one Republican and two Democrats not voting. SEAN DUFFY: TRANSPORTATION Former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., was confirmed in a comparatively more peaceful process than other nominees. Duffy enjoyed a relatively cordial hearing before Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and the Senate Commerce Committee. However, 22 Democrats still voted against his confirmation, with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., not voting. Within a day of his confirmation, Duffy was faced with a catastrophic midair collision over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. involving a military helicopter and an American Airlines-sanctioned passenger flight from Kansas to Reagan National. All of those aboard both crafts died as the fuselage crashed into the shallow but frigid Potomac, just yards shy of the Arlington, Va., airport’s runway. Soon after, Duffy had to simultaneously handle the fallout from a medical plane crashing near the junction of US-1 and PA-73 in Northeast Philadelphia.&nbsp; The doomed plane spewed jet fuel as it crashed, setting a row of homes on Cottman Avenue ablaze. Six Mexican nationals onboard and one Pennsylvanian on the ground was killed, according to news reports.  CHRIS WRIGHT: ENERGY Energy Secretary Chris Wright was confirmed Sunday in a 59-38 vote, with one Democrat and two Republicans not voting. The energy company CEO from Colorado told lawmakers he would unleash U.S. energy potential as secretary. He has been a critic of climate change regulations and was endorsed by American Energy Alliance chief Tom Pyle as well as Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. – the former chairman of the natural resources committee.  DOUG COLLINS: VETERANS AFFAIRS Former Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., was recently confirmed as Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Collins saw wide bipartisan support in his 77-23 vote. In the Veterans Affairs Committee that heard his nomination, only Hirono voted against him. Collins is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and will now lead the agency meant to care for veterans after their service. "I do not come into this with rose-colored glasses. This is a large undertaking that I feel called to be at," Collins said. "When a veteran has to call a congressman or senator’s office to get the care they have already earned, it’s a mark of failure." Collins notably garnered a pro-life streak in Congress, vociferously opposing the Affordable Care Act and remarking upon the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, "RIP to the more than 30 million innocent babies that have been murdered during the decades that Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended pro-abortion laws."&nbsp;  KRISTI NOEM: HOMELAND SECURITY Now-former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem successfully made it through her confirmation hearing to become the nation’s homeland security chief. As governor, Noem provided South Dakotan resources to Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott to help assuage the Biden border crisis. As secretary, she has been on hand for immigration enforcement operations undertaken by Border Czar Thomas Homan, including one in The Bronx, N.Y. Noem saw a relatively peaceful confirmation process, though only a handful of Democrats ultimately supported her. "We must be vigilant and proactive and innovative to protect the homeland," she said at her hearing. "The challenges in front of us are extremely significant, and we must secure our borders against illegal trafficking and immigration. We must safeguard our critical infrastructure to make sure that we're protected against cyberattacks, respond to natural disasters and also terrorism." Noem was raised on a ranch near Hayti, S.D., before venturing into politics. In 2012, Noem won South Dakota’s at-large U.S. House seat – a GOP flip from its previous officeholder, Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, D-S.D. From there, she moved on to the governor’s office in 2018.  LEE ZELDIN: EPA Former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin sat for his confirmation hearing to lead the Environmental Protection Agency two weeks ago and was grilled by Democrats on his views of climate change. Senate EPW Committee ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island questioned Zeldin on the effects of carbon dioxide and pollutants on the atmosphere. "Is carbon dioxide a pollutant?" the Rhode Island Democrat asked, leading to a short back-and-forth. Later, after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., questioned Zeldin about climate change and other concerns, a cellphone that appeared to be Zeldin's rang loudly. "That was the fossil fuel industry," Sanders quipped. Later, Green New Deal co-sponsor Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts questioned Zeldin on comments from a 2016 congressional debate where he said it is the U.S.’ job to "reduce reliance on fossil fuels." "I support all of the above energy," Zeldin replied before Markey cut in. In the final vote, three Democrats joined Republicans to confirm him – Pennsylvania Sen. Fetterman and both Arizona senators – while three other Democrats did not vote.  JOHN RATCLIFFE: CIA CIA Director John Ratcliffe was confirmed by a 74-25 margin on January 23, with Fetterman not voting. Ratcliffe previously served as Trump's Director of National Intelligence (DNI) from May 2020 until January 2021, during Trump’s first term in office.&nbsp; While in Congress representing North Texas, Ratcliffe sat on the House Intelligence Committee, and notably garnered support in his confirmation from Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate’s partner panel. An Illinois native, Ratcliffe later became an attorney in Texas, was elected mayor of Heath, and later named by former President George W. Bush to lead counterterrorism efforts in the state’s Texarkana-based Eastern District.  PAM BONDI: JUSTICE Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was confirmed to the federal version of her erstwhile role by a vote of 54-46 – with Fetterman being the lone Democrat in support. Bondi’s hearing was one of those that was marred by tense moments, including an exchange with Rhode Island's Whitehouse. Whitehouse grilled Bondi whether her Justice Department would seek to target individuals on a political basis and "look for a crime." "It's a prosecutor's job to start with a crime and look for a name. Correct?" he asked. "Senator, I think that is the whole problem with the weaponization that we have seen the last four years and what's been happening to Donald Trump," Bondi replied.&nbsp; "They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him, actually starting back in 2016. They targeted his campaign. They have launched countless investigations against him. That will not be the case. If I am attorney general, I will not politicize that office." As her exchanges with Whitehouse continued, she pointed to Kevin Clinesmith – an ex-FBI lawyer sentenced to probation after he illegally altered a FISA document during a federal probe through which Trump’s 2016 campaign had been accused of colluding with Russia. There have been several other confirmation hearings for other potential cabinet members.  Notably, FBI nominee Kash Patel’s clash with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., made waves last week. Patel enraged Schiff over his reported support for January 6 inmates and his reported work in concert with the production of a song sung by the inmates that featured an a capella Pledge of Allegiance from Trump. The tit-for-tat devolved into a Clintonian spat when Patel riffed to Schiff that his response to the lawmaker hinged on his definition of the word "we" – as Clinton had told prosecutors in 1998 that a response to part of his Monica Lewinsky testimony centered on the independent counsel’s definition of "is." Fox News' Adam Shaw, Caitlin McFall, Diana Stancy and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.