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Here's the confirmation hearing schedule for Trump's Cabinet picks

Bondi, Rubio get their confirmation hearings
More Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings Wednesday, including Bondi and Rubio 02:59

Washington — President Trump's nominees for top posts in his administration are gearing up for the Senate's confirmation process, which kicked off earlier this month with a number of confirmation hearings.

Republican senators have been working to get the president's team in place as quickly as possible since Mr. Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 and GOP majorities in the House and Senate are eager to get to work on his policy agenda. 

Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, and nominations require a simple majority, meaning many of Mr. Trump's picks should be comfortably confirmed. Others could face an uphill battle if only a handful of GOP senators oppose their nominations.

Here's the hearing schedule, in order of appearance: 

Pete Hegseth

Pete Hegseth takes his seat at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14, 2025.
Pete Hegseth takes his seat at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14, 2025. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Pete Hegseth, Mr. Trump's pick for defense secretary, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 14, in what was likely to be the most contentious hearing on the schedule.

The 44-year-old former Fox News host and Army combat veteran faced scrutiny over a sexual assault allegation that he denied, along with controversial comments he's made about women in combat roles. He also faced questions about his qualifications to lead the largest workforce in the country at the Defense Department. 

Hegseth was confirmed on Jan. 24 by a 51-50 margin, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after three Republican senators defected: Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. It is the slimmest margin to confirm a Defense Secretary in history. 

Read CBS News' coverage of Hegseth's hearing here.

Pam Bondi

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination to be attorney general on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination to be attorney general on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Mr. Trump's pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and is scheduled to return on Thursday at 10:15 a.m.

Bondi, 59, served as Florida's attorney general before going on to work at the right-wing think tank America First Policy Institute. Bondi was tapped for the role after Mr. Trump's first pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew following intense criticism. 

Read CBS News' coverage of Bondi's confirmation hearing here.

Marco Rubio

Sen. Marco Rubio arrives to testify at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.
Sen. Marco Rubio arrives to testify at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

Sen. Marco Rubio, Mr. Trump's pick for secretary of state, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The 53-year-old has represented Florida in the Senate since 2011 and faced off with Mr. Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. In 2024, Rubio was on the shortlist to be Mr. Trump's running mate. The Florida Republican, a China hawk with extensive foreign policy experience, was confirmed in a unanimous vote on Jan. 20 and was sworn in on Jan. 21. 

Read CBS News' coverage of Rubio's confirmation hearing here.

John Ratcliffe

John Ratcliffe, left, is joined by former Attorney General John Ashcroft as he arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025.
John Ratcliffe, left, is joined by former Attorney General John Ashcroft as he arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

Mr. Trump's pick for CIA director, former Rep. John Ratcliffe, appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Ratcliffe, 59, represented Texas in the House from 2015 to 2020 and served as director of national intelligence in Mr. Trump's first term. 

Ratcliffe was confirmed on Jan. 23 in a 74-25 vote. 

Read CBS News coverage of Ratcliffe's confirmation hearing here.

Sean Duffy 

Sean Duffy walks out of a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 10, 2024.
Sean Duffy walks out of a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 10, 2024. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

Former Rep. Sean Duffy, Mr. Trump's pick for transportation secretary, appeared before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The 53-year-old represented Wisconsin in the House from 2011 to 2019. After leaving Congress, he joined Fox News as a contributor and co-hosted a show on Fox Business until Mr. Trump announced his selection for transportation secretary. 

Chris Wright

Chris Wright in a file photo taken on Jan. 17, 2018.
Chris Wright in a file photo taken on Jan. 17, 2018. Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Trump's pick for energy secretary, Chris Wright, appeared before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The 59-year-old Liberty Energy CEO has been a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking, and has expressed disapproval toward climate-focused, clean-energy policies.

Russell Vought 

Russell Vought after a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 9, 2024.
Russell Vought after a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 9, 2024.  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Russell Vought, Mr. Trump's pick to be director of the Office of Management and Budget, appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Vought, 48, served in the role during the latter part of the first Trump administration. He was involved in writing the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 and worked as policy director for the 2024 Republican National Committee's platform committee.

Doug Burgum

Gov. Doug Burgum at the presidential debate at the National Constitution Center on Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Gov. Doug Burgum at the presidential debate at the National Constitution Center on Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. Bryan Dozier/Variety via Getty Images

Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Mr. Trump's pick for interior secretary, appeared before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Thursday, Jan. 16. He was originally scheduled to testify on Tuesday, but the hearing was pushed back.

Burgum, a successful businessman who founded a software and venture capital company before entering public office, ran against Mr. Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, self-funding the bulk of his campaign. The 68-year-old was on the shortlist to be Mr. Trump's running mate, before being tapped to lead the Department of the Interior, which oversees federal lands and natural resources.

Lee Zeldin

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
Former Rep. Lee Zeldin at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, Mr. Trump's pick for Environmental Protection Agency administrator, appeared before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Thursday, Jan. 16.

Zeldin, 44, represented New York in the House from 2015 to 2023. He ran unsuccessfully for New York governor in 2022. 

Scott Turner

Scott Turner appears on a panel in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 2022.
Scott Turner appears on a panel in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 2022.   Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Mr. Trump's pick for Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Scott Turner, appeared before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee on Thursday, Jan. 16.

The 52-year-old former NFL player worked in Trump's first administration as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.

Scott Bessent

Scott Bessent arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 10, 2024.
Scott Bessent arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 10, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Scott Bessent, Mr. Trump's pick for Treasury secretary, appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, Jan. 16. 

Bessent, 62, is the founder of Connecticut-based hedge fund Key Square Group. Bessent would be the first Senate-confirmed openly gay Cabinet member of a Republican administration.

The Senate confirmed Bessent in a 68 to 29 vote on Jan. 27. 

Kristi Noem 

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem arrives for a meeting in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem arrives for a meeting in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Mr. Trump's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday, Jan. 17.  She was initially scheduled to appear on Jan. 15 but the hearing got pushed back earlier in the week.

The 53-year-old was elected governor in 2018 after representing the state for eight years in the House. Noem had been considered a contender for Mr. Trump's running mate early in the campaign. 

Noem was confirmed on Jan. 25 in a 59-34 vote.

Read more of CBS News' coverage of Kristi Noem's confirmation hearing here

Doug Collins

Former Rep. Doug Collins arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.
Former Rep. Doug Collins arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Former Rep. Doug Collins, Mr. Trump's pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, was set to appear before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on Tuesday, Jan. 14, but one day before the scheduled hearing, the appearance was postponed to a later date. 

The 58-year-old Georgia Republican served in Congress from 2013 to 2021 and defended Trump during his first impeachment hearing as the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. Collins, a chaplain in the Air Force Reserve and Iraq War veteran, launched an unsuccessful bid to represent Georgia in the Senate in 2020. 

Elise Stefanik

Rep. Elise Stefanik, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be U.N. ambassador, is seen on the Senate side of the Capitol on Dec. 4.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be U.N. ambassador, is seen on the Senate side of the Capitol on Dec. 4.  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Mr. Trump's pick to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, Rep. Elise Stefanik, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Stefanik, 40, has represented New York in the House since 2015, where she served as GOP conference chair, the party's No. 4 role. The staunch Trump supporter, who became a crucial ally during his first impeachment proceedings, gained attention for her grilling of university presidents as part of an investigation into antisemitism on college campuses during the last Congress. 

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

President-Elect Trump's Cabinet Nominees Meet With Lawmakers On Capitol Hill
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services walks to a meeting with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sander (I-VT) in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Jan. 8, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

Mr. Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which encompasses all of America's federal health agencies. He is slated to appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Jan. 29 and before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, or HELP, on Jan. 30. 

Kennedy ran against Mr. Trump as an independent, but later endorsed Mr. Trump and has been campaigning on a "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.

Kennedy has vowed to combat an "epidemic" of chronic diseases and believes that large drug and food companies are to blame for a broad swath of ailments. He has claimed a number of health issues have worsened due to federal inaction, including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sleep disorders, infertility rates, diabetes and obesity. 

Kennedy is one of Mr. Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks. He has made comments in the past linking vaccines to autism and has urged removing fluoride from drinking water. 

Tulsi Gabbard

President-Elect Trump's Nominees For Upcoming Administration Continue Meeting With Lawmakers On Capitol Hill
President Trump's nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii, leaves a meeting with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) at the Hart Senate Office Building on December 18, 2024 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

Mr. Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is slated to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Jan. 30. Gabbard is another of Mr. Trump's more controversial picks.

As a Democratic member of Congress, Gabbard visited Syria in 2017 and met with Bashar al-Assad, the now-deposed dictator who has been credibly accused of using chemical weapons against his own people. in 2019, she said Assad "is not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States," although she did call him a "brutal dictator" that same year.

Gabbard has also made contentious remarks about Russia. In 2022, ahead of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Gabbard posted on social media that "this war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/NATO had simply acknowledged Russia's legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine's becoming a member of NATO, which would mean US/NATO forces right on Russia's border." 

In 2019, during Gabbard's longshot Democratic bid for the White House, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she believed the Russians were "grooming" a Democratic presidential primary contender to be a third-party candidate, which appeared to be a reference to Gabbard.

Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022.

Kash Patel

The Inauguration Of Donald J. Trump As The 47th President
Kash Patel, President Trump's nominee for FBI Director arrives to speak during an inauguration event at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.  Getty Images

Mr. Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, is slated to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 30 at 10 a.m. Patel, a former Pentagon chief of staff, is another of Mr. Trump's controversial picks.

Patel is a staunch ally of Mr. Trump and served in intelligence and defense roles in Mr. Trump's first term. In 2023, Patel published titled "Government Gangsters," which received praise from Mr. Trump and in which Patel writes that the "FBI has become so thoroughly compromised that it will remain a threat to the people unless drastic measures are taken."

FBI directors normally have 10-year terms, but Christopher Wray said in December he planned to step down in the new administration, seven years into his term. Mr. Trump had already made it known that he planned to nominate Patel to lead the FBI. 

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