Dem 47
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GOP 53
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...So Does the Senate

In addition to considering the Laken Riley Act, the Senate also has to get to work approving Donald Trump's nominees for various positions. Now that the rubber's hitting the road, there are three folks who may have some trouble looming.

First up is DNI-designate Tulsi Gabbard, whose paperwork is not in order. Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee want to bring her up for a vote this week, while Democrats on the Committee are balking, as they say she hasn't submitted the necessary paperwork (like, say, an FBI background check). What both Republicans and Democrats know is that the longer this takes, and the more paperwork that is submitted, the more likely that red flags will pop up, and the nomination will be scuttled. Hence one side's desire to ram the nomination through and the other side's interest in slowing things down.

Next up is Secretary of Education-designate Linda McMahon, who is also wrestling with her paperwork. It's hard to imagine she won't be confirmed, since she served in a Senate-approved post in the first Trump administration (Administrator of the Small Business Administration). However, the missing paperwork, in her case, is financial disclosures and conflict of interest forms. And the McMahon family is currently in the midst of a legal mess involving their finances, and potential participation in illegal activities. So, it's at least possible McMahon won't be able to thread the disclosure needle.

And finally, there is HHS Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., where the news is most slight, and yet might be most suggestive. This week, he has started contacting Democratic senators and asking for meetings to discuss their votes on his nomination. Careful readers might notice that the Republicans have 53 seats in the Senate, and only 50 votes (plus President of the Senate J.D. Vance's tiebreaker) are needed for approval. The fact that Junior is going to Democrats, tinfoil hat in hand, is a pretty good indicator that he doesn't have the necessary number of Republican votes. Exactly how short he is, only he and John Thune know.

Note that this is not necessarily a comprehensive list; just the folks for whom there was adverse news yesterday. We think that Secretary of Defense-designate Pete Hegseth, in particular, is going to be tough for Trump to get over the hump. (Z)



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