Senate to decide today on key cabinet picks for Trump administration
Photo: The Senate will vote today on the appointment of the Secretary of State and the head of the Pentagon (Getty Images)
The US Senate is set to vote today on the confirmation of Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth for the positions of Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, respectively, CNN reports.
The two key Senate committees are expected to convene following the inauguration to vote on the nominations of Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth for the roles of Secretary of State and Defense Secretary.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will also meet to consider the nominations of Kristi Noem and Russell Vought.
Monday’s Senate Schedule (Kyiv Time):
- 3:15 p.m. ET: Senate Foreign Relations Committee meets in Capitol and votes on Rubio nomination for secretary of state.
- 4:30 p.m. ET: Senate gavels in.
- 5 p.m. ET: Senate Armed Service Committee meets and votes on Hegseth nomination for defense secretary.
- 5:30 p.m ET: Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee meets to consider Noem for Homeland Security Secretary and Vought for Office of Management and Budget nominations. Vought still has to appear before the budget committee this week.
- 5:30 p.m. ET: Senate votes on GOP Sen. Joni Ernst amendment (possible voice vote) and final passage of Laken Riley Act.
Trump’s inauguration
Today, January 20, Donald Trump will officially assume office as the 47th President of the United States. In November, he secured a decisive victory in the presidential election.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Trump’s team plans to conduct a "purge" of generals and officers in the Pentagon following the inauguration. This includes individuals close to the former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Mark Milley.
This move may be connected to Milley’s sharp criticism of Trump, whom he reportedly described as "a fascist to the core."
For more details on the key figures expected to join the new US administration, read RBC-Ukraine’s report.
