The Senate has set separate committee hearings for three of President Donald Trump's administration nominees on Wednesday. Among them is former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is considered a vulnerable pick by some.
On Wednesday at 10 a.m., hearings for Kennedy in the Finance Committee and Howard Lutnick in the Commerce Committee will commence. Kennedy has been chosen by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), while Lutnick is the president's pick for Commerce secretary.
In the afternoon, Kelly Loeffler will appear before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Loeffler is Trump's nominee to lead the Small Business Administration, with the hearing scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Several of Trump's nominees have already been confirmed, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Transportation Secretary-designate Sean Duffy.
The confirmation of Hegseth required Vice President JD Vance to break a tie in the Senate. However, there are indications that nominees like Kennedy, former Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and potentially Kash Patel may face challenges in their confirmation processes.
Gabbard has been nominated by Trump to be the director of national intelligence, while Patel is the nominee for the next attorney general.
The Finance Committee will vote on advancing Kennedy's nomination to the Senate floor. Additionally, Kennedy will have a hearing on Thursday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions due to the relevance of the position to public health.
Senators from both parties in the Finance Committee are expected to seek clarifications from Kennedy regarding his past statements on vaccines and how he plans to implement his beliefs if confirmed to lead HHS.
