Trump Cabinet Picks Face Confirmation Hearings in Senate

Many of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks are slated to appear on Capitol Hill this week, where they will face stark questions from Senators during their confirmation hearings. Work is already underway for the incoming Trump White House on the foreign policy front, but this week will be crucial as well.

Senate confirmation hearings for several Trump cabinet picks are slated to begin Tuesday, including his controversial pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Hegseth, a former "Fox & Friends" weekend anchor and Army National Guard combat veteran who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, has faced criticism over allegations of alcoholism and sexual misconduct in his past, all of which he has denied.

Also appearing before lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week will be Pam Bondi, Trump's pick for U.S. attorney general. Bondi was Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019 and brought or participated in lawsuits to overturn the Affordable Care Act. She was also a defense attorney for Trump during his first impeachment trial and has worked at the conservative nonprofit America First Policy Institute.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, will also face questions from lawmakers this week, particularly over his policy positions on things like abortion and vaccines. His vaccine stances have been a major issue since his nomination, with a lawyer for Kennedy filing requests in 2022 to have the Food and Drug Administration remove approval for the polio vaccine, claiming it "does not prevent intestinal infection and therefore does not prevent poliovirus transmission."

A total of 13 confirmation hearings are scheduled across 11 various Senate committees this week. Some of these hearings will be streamed by Scripps News as Trump's cabinet picks face sharp questions from lawmakers.