Schumer directs Dems to put pressure on Trump nominees ahead of confirmation hearings
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., instructed his caucus not to hold back when it comes to confirmation hearings beginning this week for some of President-elect Trump's nominees for top roles.
During last week's caucus lunch, Schumer said these hearings will be an opportunity for them to grill Trump's choices and ask them questions about the incoming president's agenda, a Senate Democratic source told Fox News Digital.
In particular, the Democratic leader told his party that they should press nominees on how they specifically will help carry out some of the items Trump pledged to do during the campaign, the source said.
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As both parties compete for working-class Americans, who have been key deciding votes in the past several elections, Schumer and Democrats believe the confirmation hearings are a prime opportunity to put Trump's selections on the record on crucial issues that matter to this group, according to the source.
Additionally, Democrats are not planning on holding back when it comes to the backgrounds of nominees, they added. The caucus could use this time as a chance to lay the groundwork for any future blunders from Trump appointees, in which case they could say they warned colleagues early on.
Confirmation hearings will kick off on Tuesday with Doug Collins being considered at 9 a.m. to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs. Pete Hegseth's hearing to be Trump's Defense secretary will follow at 9:30 a.m.
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Some of the other Trump picks who will appear before committees this week are Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., for secretary of Homeland Security; CEO and founder of Liberty Energy Chris Wright for secretary of Energy; and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for secretary of State.
Since Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in the Senate, they could manage to confirm Trump's selections without any Democratic support. That is, if they can get all Republicans to back the incoming president's choices.
However, each nominee still needs to go through a confirmation hearing, during which members of both parties will question them. Many Democrats have already expressed their intentions to ask Hegseth, for example, about various allegations of fund mismanagement and sexual assault, which he has denied.
Depending on their answers, hearings can play a role in whether a nominee ultimately gets confirmed.
A member of the Armed Services committee, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has made clear her concerns about Hegseth. "I am deeply concerned by the many ways in which your behavior and rhetoric indicates that you are unfit to lead the Department of Defense," she wrote to the nominee last week.
"Your confirmation as Secretary of Defense would be detrimental to our national security and disrespect a diverse array of service members who are willing to sacrifice for our country," she said.
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Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., Armed Services ranking member, is also expected to pose questions on areas of concern. He met with Hegseth last week, but said afterward in a statement, "Today’s meeting did not relieve my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers."
"As with any nominee for this critical position, Mr. Hegseth must undergo the same high-level of scrutiny as prior Secretary of Defense nominees."
While Hegseth's confirmation process has been one of the most watched, it's expected that Democrats will keep pressure on a number of Trump picks, with a handful of exceptions, such as for their colleague Marco Rubio, whom several Democrats plan to support.