John Thune says 'all the options' are on the table for Trump's provocative Cabinet picks
While President-elect Donald Trump has spent the last few days publicizing his provocative Cabinet nominations, newly elected Senate GOP leader John Thune said that "all the options" are on the table for their confirmation process.
Trump's Cabinet nominations have sparked a slew of controversies. Most notably, Trump nominated former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the Department of Health and Human Services as well as Republican former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida for attorney general.
"We're gonna work with him to see that he gets his team installed as quickly as possible so he can implement his agenda," Thune said in a Fox News interview Thursday.
'But we also are not going to allow the Democrats to obstruct or block President Trump and the will of the American people,' Thune said.
"All these nominees are, it's a, you know, advise and consent," Thune continued. "That's the Senate's constitutional role when it comes to confirmation of nominations to the executive branch of government, and we take that role seriously."
Over the weekend, Trump demanded that the three Senate GOP hopefuls publicly support recess appointments. With recess appointments, the incoming Trump administration would be able to appoint nominees to federal positions without the Senate's approval.
Otherwise, all nominations would need to be approved by the Senate with a simple majority. Since Republicans will hold 53 seats, and with Vice President-elect JD Vance working as a tiebreaker, each candidate will be able to lose only three Republican votes and still be confirmed.
"But we also are not going to allow the Democrats to obstruct or block President Trump and the will of the American people," Thune said.
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