Senate Committees to Hold More Hearings on Trump Nominees, House Not in Session Until Friday

The U.S. Capitol Building may be closed for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, but there will be plenty of action in the adjacent Senate office buildings. Confirmation hearings on eight of President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominees are expected this week. This follows confirmation hearings on six nominees last week. Initially, more confirmation hearings were expected last week, but some delays were announced. The House is expected to convene on Friday.

Here are the Senate committee hearings for the week.

• The Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold hearings on the nomination of Betsy DeVos to serve as secretary of education on Tuesday, January 17 and the nomination of Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to serve as secretary of health and human services on Wednesday, January 18. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) chairs the committee. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is the ranking member. The committee’s full membership is available here.

• The Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold hearings on the nomination of Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) to serve as secretary of the interior on Tuesday, January 17 and on the nomination of former Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas) to serve as energy secretary on Thursday, January 19. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) chairs the committee. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wa.) is the ranking member. The committee’s full membership is available here.

• The Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Attorney General Scott Pruitt (R-Okla.) to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, January 18. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) chairs the committee. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) is the ranking member. The committee’s full membership is available here.

• The Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) to serve as the United States’ ambassador to the United Nations on Wednesday, January 18. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) chairs the committee. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is the ranking member. The committee’s full membership is available here.

• The Commerce, Science, and Transporation Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Wilbur Ross to serve as secretary of commerce on Wednesday, January 18. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) chairs of the committee. Sen. Bill Nelson (R-Fla.) is the ranking member. The committee’s full membership is available here.

• The Finance Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to serve as treasury secretary on Thursday, January 19. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is the chairman of the committee. Sen. Ron Wyden (R-Ore.) is the ranking member. The committee’s full membership is available here.

Confirmation hearings for three of President-elect Trump’s nominees haven’t yet been announced. The transition team hasn’t announced the nominee to serve as agriculture secretary. David Shulkin was only recently named to serve as secretary of veterans affairs. Although committees of jurisdiction are likely to announce dates this week, hearings haven’t been announced for Shulkin; Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), the nominee to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Robert Lighthizer, the nominee to serve as U.S. trade representative; and Andrew Puzder, the nominee to serve as labor secretary.