Several Senate Republicans who previously confirmed President Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees now appear hesitant about some of President-elect Donald Trump’s appointees.
Some Republicans are sidestepping questions surrounding Trump’s more contentious nominees, calling into question which of his picks will survive the confirmation process. The nominees attracting the most pushback from within the GOP’s tent include Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FBI Director nominee Kash Patel.
While many of these Republicans supported Biden’s cabinet confirmations, they now seem tentative about Trump’s selections. Senators who previously voted to confirm Biden’s nominees such as Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas are now seemingly noncommittal about Trump’s choices.
Trump’s nominees aim to reverse Biden administration policies and reinstate his “America First” agenda. Members of Biden’s cabinet, meanwhile, have drawn harsh criticism during their tenures — particularly Mayorkas, who Republicans criticized for failing to stem the influx of illegal migrants across the southern border during Biden’s term, and Austin, who was criticized for the disastrous mishandling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, which left 13 Americans dead in 2021. Austin was also grilled in February over what he called a “breakdown in notifications” after he allegedly failed to notify Biden and others that he was in the intensive care unit for surgery related to prostate cancer.
Republicans have also ripped Garland, who they say weaponized the Department of Justice (DOJ) in relation to charges against Trump. House Republicans even introduced a resolution that would have fined the attorney general $10,000 per day were he to continue withholding audiotapes from the interview with Biden and Special Counsel Robert Hur.
These still-on-the-fence Republican senators who voted to confirm Garland include Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds and South Dakota Sen. John Thune, who was elected in November to replace longtime ally McConnell as Senate majority leader. Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is also meeting with Hegseth for the second time Monday and has not said whether she will be voting in favor of his confirmation.
President Joe Biden (L) and Attorney General Merrick Garland walk into the East Room for the Public Safety Officer Medals of Valor ceremony at the White House on May 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Many Republican Senators also voted to confirm Austin to run the Department of Defense (DOD), but some are cagey about expressing their voting plans for Hegseth, Trump’s DOD pick.
Gen. Lloyd Austin, nominee to be Defense secretary, attends the inauguration before Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Hegseth is facing allegations of sexual assault, which he has adamantly denied and for which he has not been charged. In the weeks following the announcement of his nomination, left-leaning media outlets have run numerous stories alleging that he has a drinking problem and is sexually promiscuous. Colleagues from Fox News have defended Hegseth in response to these allegations, which he has also denied. (RELATED: Seven GOP Senators Most Likely To Stand Between Trump And His Dream Cabinet)
The Republican senators who voted to confirm Austin but have not revealed their vote for Hegseth include Rounds, Cassidy, Ernst, Collins, Thune, McConnell and Murkowski.
The following Republican senators, who will be voting whether or not to confirm Hegseth, voted to confirm Lloyd Austin: pic.twitter.com/DTczhLQZ9t
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 9, 2024
Collins and Murkowski both voted to confirm Mayorkas as DHS secretary. The two have dodged questioning about their plans on voting for Trump’s cabinet picks, despite previously supporting Biden’s.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is sworn in before testifying to the House Homeland Security Committee about the Biden Administration’s FY2025 budget request in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill on April 16, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Despite the uncertainty, the president-elect has stood by his nominations and stated that he believes the Senate will vote to confirm Hegseth. No Senate Democrats voted against any of Biden’s cabinet appointees.