President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks will need approval from the Republican-led Senate. Here’s who to watch. And, make-ahead recipes for Thanksgiving.
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President-elect Donald Trump announced several leadership nominees Friday evening, including who he wants to head the CDC and FDA. Many of these high-ranking positions require approval from the Republican-controlled Senate next year, and some picks may run into opposition. Here’s everyone Trump has nominated so far, and who he has yet to name.
???? The cabinet nominees need a simple majority to be approved and NPR’s Deirdre Walsh tells Up First she expects most will. Even if three Republicans vote against a nominee, Vice President-elect JD Vance, who would also serve as president of the Senate, can break the tie. If four Senate Republicans oppose a nominee they will fail. Walsh says the senators to keep an eye on include Susan Collins from Maine, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, John Curtis from Utah and Mitch McConnell, who stepped down from leadership but is still in the Senate. They have expressed that the president can nominate who he wants, but it’s the Senate’s job to advise and consent.
You may not know Leonard Leo’s name, but you probably know his biggest achievement: During Trump’s first term, he advised the president on the nominations of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
