Western South Dakota News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune addressed the Senate floor today, discussing the confirmation process for President Trump's Cabinet nominees. Thune emphasized the swift pace at which Trump has named his Cabinet, noting that it took just 18 days to announce all secretaries and several senior roles. This speed is described as "a pace unprecedented in recent history."

Thune stated, "President Trump has shown he wants to get to work quickly executing the mandate that he’s received from the American people." He stressed the importance of having Trump's team in place promptly and indicated that the Senate is prepared to facilitate this.

The confirmation process involves private meetings with nominees, followed by public hearings where senators can question them on record. The public will have an opportunity to hear directly from those selected for key positions.

Several committees have scheduled hearings for nominees in national security roles. The Armed Services Committee will hear from Pete Hegseth, nominated for secretary of defense; the Foreign Relations Committee plans a hearing with Senator Rubio for secretary of state; and John Ratcliffe's CIA director nomination will be reviewed by the Intelligence Committee. Additionally, Governor Kristi Noem's nomination for secretary of homeland security will be considered by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Other nominations include Doug Collins for VA secretary, Russell Vought as OMB director, Governor Doug Burgum for interior secretary, Chris Wright as energy secretary, Pam Bondi as attorney general, and Sean Duffy as secretary of transportation.

Thune expressed a goal to maintain a steady pace in confirming these positions over the coming weeks. He referenced President Obama's administration achieving 12 confirmed Cabinet secretaries within 15 days of taking office as a standard they aim to meet or exceed.

He called upon Democrats to cooperate with this expedited process while acknowledging their stated approach would be "fair but thorough." Thune concluded by affirming commitment to ensuring each nominee receives a fair process in confirmation proceedings.