On Capitol Hill Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and Kash Patel testified before Senate committees as the urgency to confirm President Donald Trump's Cabinet nominations grows.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), faced questioning from the Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor & Pensions for the second consecutive day. He previously clashed with Democratic senators over abortion and vaccines before the Senate Finance Committee.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel, Trump's nominee for FBI director, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Tulsi Gabbard, the nominee for National Intelligence Director, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Additionally, Daniel Driscoll, Trump's nominee for Army Secretary and former advisor to Vice President JD Vance, answered questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee.
After testifying before relevant Senate committees, nominees undergo a vote within the panel to recommend them to the full Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune can then initiate a cloture vote to end Senate floor debate on the nominee, leading to final confirmation votes.
To secure confirmation, a nominee requires a majority vote in the Senate, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie if needed, as seen in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's confirmation.
Elise Stefanik, the nominee for United Nations Ambassador, advanced to the Senate floor after the Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of her nomination. Other nominees awaiting Senate floor votes include Russ Vought for OMB Director, Scott Turner for HUD Secretary, and Pam Bondi for Attorney General.
Several nominees, such as Brooke Rollins for Agriculture Secretary, Howard Lutnick for Commerce Secretary, and Kelly Loeffler for Small Business Administrator, have testified but are pending Senate committee votes.
Energy Secretary nominee Chris Wright and Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins await procedural votes on the Senate floor before confirmation. Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum passed the cloture vote and now awaits a confirmation vote.
As of Thursday, the Senate has confirmed seven of Trump's Cabinet nominations, including Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, John Ratcliffe as CIA Director, and Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary.
