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Here's the confirmation hearing schedule for Trump's Cabinet picks

Bondi, Rubio get their confirmation hearings
More Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings Wednesday, including Bondi and Rubio 02:59

Washington — President-elect Donald Trump's nominees for top posts in his administration are gearing up for the Senate's confirmation process, which is kicking off this week with more than a dozen confirmation hearings.

Republican senators are working to get the president-elect's team in place as quickly as possible, with Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 and GOP majorities in the House and Senate that are eager to get to work on his policy agenda. 

Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, and nominations require a simple majority, meaning most of Trump's picks should be comfortably confirmed shortly after he takes office next week. Others could face an uphill battle if only a handful of GOP senators oppose their nominations.

Here's the hearing schedule, in order of appearance: 

Pete Hegseth

Pete Hegseth takes his seat at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14, 2025.
Pete Hegseth takes his seat at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14, 2025. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick for defense secretary, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 14, in what was likely to be the most contentious hearing on the schedule.

The 44-year-old former Fox News host and Army combat veteran faced scrutiny over a sexual assault allegation that he denied, along with controversial comments he's made about women in combat roles. He also faced questions about his qualifications to lead the largest workforce in the country at the Defense Department. 

Read CBS News' coverage of Hegseth's hearing here.

Pam Bondi

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination to be attorney general on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination to be attorney general on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Trump's pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and is scheduled to return on Thursday at 10:15 a.m.

Bondi, 59, served as Florida's attorney general before going on to work at the right-wing think tank America First Policy Institute. Bondi was tapped for the role after Trump's first pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew following intense criticism. 

Read CBS News' coverage of Bondi's confirmation hearing here.

Marco Rubio

Sen. Marco Rubio arrives to testify at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.
Sen. Marco Rubio arrives to testify at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump's pick for secretary of state, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The 53-year-old has represented Florida in the Senate since 2011 and faced off with Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. In 2024, Rubio was on the shortlist to be Trump's running mate. The Florida Republican, a China hawk with extensive foreign policy experience, is expected to have among the smoothest paths to confirmation in the upper chamber. 

Read CBS News' coverage of Rubio's confirmation hearing here.

John Ratcliffe

John Ratcliffe, left, is joined by former Attorney General John Ashcroft as he arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025.
John Ratcliffe, left, is joined by former Attorney General John Ashcroft as he arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

Trump's pick for CIA director, former Rep. John Ratcliffe, appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Ratcliffe, 59, represented Texas in the House from 2015 to 2020 and served as director of national intelligence in Trump's first term.

Read CBS News coverage of Ratcliffe's confirmation hearing here.

Sean Duffy 

Sean Duffy walks out of a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 10, 2024.
Sean Duffy walks out of a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 10, 2024. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

Former Rep. Sean Duffy, Trump's pick for transportation secretary, appeared before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The 53-year-old represented Wisconsin's in the House from 2011 to 2019. After leaving Congress, he joined Fox News as a contributor and co-hosted a show on Fox Business until Trump announced his selection for transportation secretary. 

Chris Wright

Chris Wright in a file photo taken on Jan. 17, 2018.
Chris Wright in a file photo taken on Jan. 17, 2018. Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Trump's pick for energy secretary, Chris Wright, appeared before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The 59-year-old Liberty Energy CEO has been a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking, and has expressed disapproval toward climate-focused, clean-energy policies.

Russell Vought 

Russell Vought after a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 9, 2024.
Russell Vought after a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 9, 2024.  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Russell Vought, Trump's pick to be director of the Office of Management and Budget, appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Vought, 48, served in the role during the latter part of the first Trump administration. He was involved in writing the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 and worked as policy director for the 2024 Republican National Committee's platform committee.

Doug Burgum

Gov. Doug Burgum at the presidential debate at the National Constitution Center on Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Gov. Doug Burgum at the presidential debate at the National Constitution Center on Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. Bryan Dozier/Variety via Getty Images

Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump's pick for interior secretary, is slated to appear before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. He was originally scheduled to testify on Tuesday, but the hearing was pushed back.

Burgum, a successful businessman who founded a software and venture capital company before entering public office, ran against Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, self-funding the bulk of his campaign. The 68-year-old was on the shortlist to be Trump's running mate, before being tapped to lead the Department of the Interior, which oversees federal lands and natural resources.

Lee Zeldin

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
Former Rep. Lee Zeldin at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, Trump's pick for Environmental Protection Agency administrator, is set to appear before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 10 a.m.

Zeldin, 44, represented New York in the House from 2015 to 2023. He ran unsuccessfully for New York governor in 2022. 

Scott Turner

Scott Turner appears on a panel in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 2022.
Scott Turner appears on a panel in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 2022.   Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Trump's pick for Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Scott Turner, is slated to appear before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 10 a.m.

The 52-year-old former NFL player worked in Trump's first administration as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.

Scott Bessent

Scott Bessent arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 10, 2024.
Scott Bessent arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 10, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Scott Bessent, Trump's pick for Treasury secretary, is set to appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 10:30 a.m.

Bessent, 62, is the founder of Connecticut-based hedge fund Key Square Group. Bessent would be the first Senate-confirmed openly gay Cabinet member of a Republican administration.

Kristi Noem 

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem arrives for a meeting in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem arrives for a meeting in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, is slated to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday, Jan. 17 at 9 a.m. She was initially scheduled to appear on Jan. 15 but the hearing got pushed back earlier in the week.

The 53-year-old was elected governor in 2018 after representing the state for eight years in the House. Noem had been considered a contender for Trump's running mate early in the campaign. 

Doug Collins

Former Rep. Doug Collins arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.
Former Rep. Doug Collins arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Former Rep. Doug Collins, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, was set to appear before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on Tuesday, Jan. 14, but one day before the scheduled hearing, the appearance was postponed to a later date. 

The 58-year-old Georgia Republican served in Congress from 2013 to 2021 and defended Trump during his first impeachment hearing as the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. Collins, a chaplain in the Air Force Reserve and Iraq War veteran, launched an unsuccessful bid to represent Georgia in the Senate in 2020. 

Elise Stefanik

Rep. Elise Stefanik, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be U.N. ambassador, is seen on the Senate side of the Capitol on Dec. 4.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be U.N. ambassador, is seen on the Senate side of the Capitol on Dec. 4.  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Trump's pick to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, Rep. Elise Stefanik, is slated to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 10 a.m.

Stefanik, 40, has represented New York in the House since 2015, where she served as GOP conference chair, the party's No. 4 role. The staunch Trump supporter, who became a crucial ally during his first impeachment proceedings, gained attention for her grilling of university presidents as part of an investigation into antisemitism on college campuses during the last Congress. 

Other Trump picks

Trump's picks for other top administration posts — including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Kash Patel for director of the FBI — are expected to appear before Senate committees later on, though their hearings have yet to be scheduled or announced publicly. 

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