After President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office and Congress concludes the inaugural pageantry and the post-inauguration lunch on Monday, the Senate will get back to work.
The first item on the Senate’s Trump nomination agenda appears sure to be the confirmation of one of their own. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., had a relatively easy confirmation hearing at the Foreign Relations Committee last week and is expected to be confirmed as secretary of State on Monday evening.
Other key Trump nominees will have to wait — though the Republican majority is prioritizing national security posts.
The Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on the Rubio nomination Monday afternoon before it heads to the floor. Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said last week he plans to hold a Monday evening vote on Trump’s nomination of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of Defense.
The Senate Intelligence Committee also meets Monday to vote on the nomination of John L. Ratcliffe to be CIA director, according to a source familiar with the schedule, and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to vote on the nominations of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be Homeland Security secretary and Russell Vought to be director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Vought still has a confirmation hearing before the Senate Budget Committee on Wednesday, but Ratcliffe and Noem, along with Hegseth, could get prioritized for floor votes this week.
Trump spoke highly of the way the confirmation process was going during an event with donors Sunday night in Washington.
“They’re doing really well in the process. And the senators — the Republican senators — have been very understanding and very professional. We appreciate it,” Trump said. “So far. Now, if that changes, I’ll let you know. I’ll let you all know.”
There’s also a new Republican senator on track to be sworn in. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday signed the formal paperwork to name fellow Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill the seat vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance.
More markups are now on deck this week, including for a trio of former Republican House members: Sean Duffy of Wisconsin to be secretary of Transportation, Doug Collins of Georgia to be secretary of Veterans Affairs and Lee Zeldin of New York to be administrator of the EPA.
That could get any of those nominees into the queue for confirmation on the Senate floor as early as the end of this week, especially if the Senate is once again in session on Friday as scheduled. The Senate still needs to finish work on the immigration bill that would impose stricter measures on undocumented migrants who commit crimes in the United States.
Ten Democrats joined in getting the measure past filibuster threats in a 61-36 cloture vote on Friday. Final passage, scheduled for Monday at 5:30 p.m., requires only a simple majority.
Senators amended the measure, and they’re using a different legislative vehicle from the one that passed the House — so the House will need to act again on the more expansive bill to send it to Trump’s desk. The Senate bill is on the House agenda for this week, according to the schedule from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.
The House is expected back in session for votes on Tuesday, with the Rules Committee meeting for the first time under new Chair Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.
The panel is scheduled to set the terms for floor consideration of forestry management legislation, an issue that’s been front and center with the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles County.
“The destruction and devastation in LA is a reminder of the incalculable human toll of these fires. While we can’t stop every fire, smart changes to policy will help prevent fires, limit their spread, and make them less destructive,” Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., said in a statement on reintroducing the bill. “Our bill will help us protect where nature meets homes, pre-position firetrucks and other resources in high-risk areas, and build homes more resistant to fire.”
Peters, who represents a San Diego-based district, is the lead Democratic co-sponsor of the bill introduced by Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark.
The other priority legislation for the House this week is a bill related to medical care standards for infants born alive, including during abortion procedures.
That measure will be coming up for a vote this week around the same time as the anti-abortion March for Life rally in Washington. Both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., are scheduled to speak Thursday there, according to event organizers.
Mark Satter and Victor Feldman contributed to this report.
