Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and chair of the Senate GOP conference, told Breitbart News that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is personally to blame for slowing down President Donald Trump’s Cabinet confirmations. ,
As it is right before Inauguration Day, Trump will almost certainly see only one Cabinet confirmation on January 20 – the confirmation of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) as his Secretary of State. Despite several other Trump Cabinet selections, such as CIA Director-nominee John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary-nominee Scott Besant, Homeland Security Secretary-nominee Kristi Noem, and Defense Secretary-nominee Pete Hegseth, Democrats are using Senate floor procedures. Slow down the final confirmation votes on these people—potentially doing so would put the American public at risk.
Now, Cotton exclusively told Breitbart News just moments before Trump was sworn in that if Democrats don’t cut down on conspiracies now, he will forever in the future implement what he now calls “the Schumer is calling it a “precedent”, allowing only one cabinet pick to be confirmed on Inauguration Day forever.
“Chuck Schumer is playing with fire with these nominations,” Cotton said. “Schumer will set a precedent if he allows Marco Rubio to be confirmed tonight. As long as I am a US Senator, no Democrat POTUS will receive more than one day of official confirmation, regardless of resume or qualifications.
The Senate has already held hearings for the above Trump Cabinet selections and several others, but there are still hearings to be held on several others. For example, Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard, does not even have a hearing scheduled at this point. In contrast, outgoing President Joe Biden was confirmed as his DNI on Inauguration Day in 2021. So this new standard that is being created largely by Senate Democrats and the deep state bureaucrats who are slowing Trump’s Cabinet selections could seriously harm future presidents, especially Democrats.
But more broadly than this new precedent being set by Schumer, Senate Republicans either need to figure out a way to avoid obstruction and power through it or they will begin to face the wrath of the Trump base who Will prevent any cabinet confirmation delays or failures. Against Senate Republicans.
