It’s shaping up to be a good old-fashioned Senate traffic jam, folks. As President-elect Trump prepares to take office on January 20, the Senate is already bracing for the grind of confirming his cabinet nominees. And let’s just say, it’s not going to be a quick, smooth ride.
Here’s the deal: absolutely nothing meaningful can happen until Trump officially takes the oath of office. Until then, it’s all tuxedos, inaugural balls, and political pageantry. But once the confetti clears, the Senate will need to roll up its sleeves and dive headfirst into the confirmation process. Historically, this has been a slog, even under the best of circumstances, and we’re not exactly dealing with a kumbaya moment in Washington right now.
For a little context, let’s take a stroll down memory lane. Back in 2017, the Senate managed to confirm two of Trump’s nominees—Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly—on inauguration night. But after that? Crickets. Elaine Chao didn’t get the nod as Transportation Secretary until January 31. And for those keeping track, she had the added benefit of being married to Mitch McConnell, who at the time wielded more Senate power than anyone else. Even with a Republican majority, moving nominees through the pipeline was no small feat.
Fast forward to 2021, and it was a similar story under Biden. Sure, his Director of National Intelligence pick, Avril Haines, got through on Day One. But most of his cabinet confirmations dragged on into February and March. Remember Interior Secretary Deb Haaland? She didn’t get confirmed until mid-March. And let’s not forget how long it took for Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to finally get the green light—March 22, to be exact. Bottom line? Senate confirmation is not exactly a speedy process.
So what’s the playbook for Trump’s upcoming cabinet confirmations? Well, it starts with hearings—lots of them. Committees have to vet each nominee, a process that can get bogged down by paperwork, scheduling issues, or partisan opposition. Take Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for Interior Secretary. His hearing was already delayed from Tuesday to Thursday over missing paperwork. Then there’s Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi. While she seems likely to sail through, her hearing spans two days, so don’t expect a vote anytime this week. And for controversial nominees, things can drag on even longer, especially if Democrats decide to play hardball with filibusters.
Speaking of filibusters, they’re another wrench in the works. Breaking one takes at least three days of procedural votes, and even then, opponents can stretch out floor debates for hours. It’s a time-consuming headache that Senate Majority Leader John Thune will have to navigate carefully. Remember when Mike Pence had to break a tie to confirm Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary in 2017? That process stretched into a 7 a.m. procedural vote one day and a 2 a.m. confirmation another. The Senate clock doesn’t stop, and you can bet there will be more late nights like that ahead.
Now, there are ways to speed things up. The Senate could confirm non-controversial nominees in bulk through an “en bloc” process, which bundles several nominees into a single vote. But don’t get your hopes up—anything even remotely controversial will take center stage, sucking up hours of precious floor time. And let’s not forget, the Senate has other pressing issues to juggle, like sanctions on the International Criminal Court and debates over legislation such as the Laken Riley Act. Time, as always, is the Senate’s most limited commodity.
And this is just the cabinet we’re talking about. Trump’s administration still needs to fill over 800 positions that require Senate confirmation. Ambassadorships, agency heads, and other key roles are all part of the backlog. Pete Hoekstra as Ambassador to Canada? Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel? Those might be in the works, but they’ll take a while to get through the pipeline.
So buckle up, folks. The confirmation process is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Expect plenty of late nights, early mornings, and weekend sessions as the Senate grinds its way through the monster task of staffing the next administration. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the reality of Washington. And with tensions high and floor time scarce, this could be one for the history books—or at least the C-SPAN archives.
