WASHINGTON _ The Senate is expected to vote on at least two of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees after he is sworn in on Friday.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Thursday that he expected votes on Gen. John Kelly to be the next homeland security secretary and Gen. James Mattis to lead the Defense Department. Schumer also said debate will begin on Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo's nomination to be the CIA director, with a vote possible Friday or early next week.
Schumer said votes on other "noncontroversial nominees" are possible, but he is still negotiating timing with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Asked why timing on those non-controversial confirmations had not yet been resolved, Schumer told Roll Call, "We're negotiating ... Anyone in my caucus can hold them up. Any single person has the right to ask for full debate."
McConnell has said he is frustrated that more nominees will not be confirmed on the first day of Trump's administration. He and other Republicans are quick to point out that seven of President Barack Obama's nominees were confirmed on Day One.
But Schumer said Republicans have been trying to jam nominees through the confirmation process, and senators have not been given enough time to properly vet them. He threatened extensive floor debate on the nominees, which could prolong the confirmation process.
"Senate Republicans did not want to have a debate on the merits of these nominees in committee, but they should be prepared to do so on the floor of the United States Senate," Schumer said at a Thursday press conference.
Schumer said Democrats want some nominees to return for further questioning. He pointed to the eight nominees Democrats have the most problems with, excluding Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., the attorney general nominee. Sessions had two days of hearings with extensive rounds of questioning.
The other nominees most troubling to Democrats include Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson, Health and Human Services nominee Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., Treasury nominee Steve Mnuchin, Environmental Protection Agency nominee Scott Pruitt, Office of Management and Budget nominee Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., Education nominee Betsy DeVos, and Labor nominee Andy Puzder.
Trump officially named his last Cabinet pick Thursday. He chose former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to run the Agriculture Department. The former governor is a cousin to current Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga.
The senator said in a statement that his cousin's "executive experience as a two-term governor of Georgia, the first Republican in 135 years, as well as his veterinary background and agribusiness career, are a few of the many reasons he is the best person for the job."
But Perdue's selection drew the ire of the first Latina senator, Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. She said she was "stunned" that Trump did not select a single Latino for a Cabinet position.
