Trump's cabinet will hardly be appointed without the approval of these 9 Senators.

Even without considering Democratic senators, Trump still faces significant challenges within the Republican party if he wants to secure Senate confirmation of his entire cabinet in the next term.

Photo caption — Former US President Donald Trump (center) at a New York court on October 4, 2023. Photo: AFP/VNA

Currently, several Republican senators are emerging as potential obstacles to President-elect Trump's somewhat controversial cabinet selections. Trump has had what is considered a "not-so-good" relationship with some Republican senators. With a rather fragile majority in the U.S. Senate, if all Democratic senators and four Republican senators disapprove, Trump's cabinet nominees will be eliminated one by one. In particular, the nominations of former Congressman Matt Gaetz as Attorney General and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services – both the focus of controversy this past week – have drawn criticism from some senators within the party. Here is a list of nine Republican senators that Trump and his cabinet nominees must overcome to avoid an unfavorable confirmation from the Senate. First is Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. She had previously hinted at the possibility of opposing Gaetz shortly after he was announced by Trump as his Attorney General. She said, "I don't think this is a serious nomination for Attorney General. We need a serious Attorney General."

Senator Murkowski also expressed skepticism about Trump's choice of Kennedy to head the Department of Health. Additionally, she expressed surprise at Trump's selection of Pete Hegseth – a veteran and Fox News host – to head the Department of Defense . She said, “I won’t comment on whether it’s good, bad, or normal. I’m just surprised that the names of the candidates I’ve heard for Secretary of Defense aren’t his.” Second is Senator Susan Collins of Maine. She immediately expressed skepticism after Gaetz’s nomination for Attorney General. She said, “I’m sure there will be a lot of questions raised at his confirmation hearing. Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whoever he wants, but I’m sure there will be a lot of questions.” Collins is also expected to scrutinize Trump’s nomination of Kennedy because she is also a member of the Senate Health Committee. She said some of Kennedy's past statements were "alarming." Third is Senator-elect John Curtis of Utah. He is a leading conservative climate group and has countered climate skeptics. Curtis is seen as not having a good relationship with Gaetz, who criticized him during the recent election.

Fourth is Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. He is predicted to potentially become Chairman of the Senate Health Committee next year. This would give him the authority to nominate Kennedy to head the Department of Health . Cassidy is a physician and a staunch supporter of vaccination – a contrast to Kennedy's views as Secretary of Health nominee. He also expressed little admiration for Hegseth's nomination to head the Department of Defense due to his lack of experience managing large organizations like the Pentagon. Fifth is Senator Todd Young of Indiana. He was one of several Republican senators who voted for the 2022 bill to address gun violence. At the time, Gaetz stated that any Republican senator who supported this measure would be a traitor to the Constitution.

Sixth is Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa. Ernst said Gaetz would have to "climb a hill" to win enough votes to become Attorney General. She also appeared uncertain about whether to vote in favor of Tulsi Gabbard's nomination for Director of National Intelligence and Hegseth's nomination for Secretary of Defense. She said she wanted to meet with Gabbard before making any decisions. Seventh is Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina. He has previously hinted that Gaetz might not have much support in the Senate. He said, "Senator Gaetz will have a hearing, but I'm only interested in the vote count and I think he'll probably have to work very hard to get a strong vote."

Tillis also said Hegseth would have to answer some tough questions at his Senate confirmation hearing. He commented that Hegseth's lack of experience leading large organizations would be an issue to address at the confirmation hearing. Eighth is Senator John Cornyn of Texas. He is a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and requested that the committee have full access to the findings of the House Ethics Committee's investigation into Gaetz regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. He warned that if evidence of misconduct is found, Gaetz could become "an embarrassment to the president." He also expressed surprise that Trump chose Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, given her previous opposition to U.S. claims that Syrian President Assad used chemical weapons against civilians and defended Russian President Putin's justification for the attack on Ukraine. Ninth is Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. He also expressed disapproval of Trump's nomination of Gaetz to head the Justice Department, arguing that it would undermine public confidence in national law enforcement. McConnell is also expected to carefully consider Gabbard's previous statements about Russia when she was nominated to be Director of National Intelligence.

Binh Thanh/News Report (According to ABC News)

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/phan-tichnhan-dinh/noi-cac-cua-ong-trump-kho-long-duoc-bo-nhiem-neu-khong-duoc-9-thuong-nghi-si-nay-chap-thuan-20241118221702593.htm