DemDaily: The Confirmation Count
March 3, 2017
This week's count!

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who advocated abolishing Dept of Energy, is now its Secretary
With the confirmation yesterday of Housing & Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, thirteen of the fifteen Cabinet or Executive Departments heads have now been confirmed, along with five of the seven "Cabinet-level" positions.
In addition to the Cabinet (which also includes the VP and WH Chief of Staff), there are approximately 1200 positions that require Senate confirmation. Of those, 552 are considered "key" appointments (the number has decreased with the Trump Administration's restructuring).
Total Nominated To-Date: 35
In other Cabinet-related news, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has agreed to recuse himself from cases relating to the investigation of connections between Russia and the Trump Campaign/Administration.
The announcement was made yesterday following allegations that he had misled the Senate during his confirmation hearing about meetings he had during the campaign with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak.
Citing perjury, Democrats have called for Sessions' resignation, but any future action will likely depend on the larger Russia-Trump investigation and the potential appointment of a Special Prosecutor.
Position
|
Confirmed
|
Hearings Completed | Senate Confirmation Vote Date |
Senate Vote Total |
Secretary of Homeland Security | John Kelly | January 10 | January 20 | 88 in favor 11 against |
Secretary of Defense | James Mattis | January 12 | January 20 | 98 in favor 1 against (*Gillibrand) |
Secretary of Transportation | Elaine Chao | January 11 | January 31 | 93 in favor 6 against |
Secretary of State | Rex Tillerson | January 11 | February 1 | 56 in favor 43 against |
Secretary of Education | Betsy DeVos | January 17 | February 7 | 50 in favor (+VP tiebreak) 50 against |
Attorney General | Jeff Sessions | January 11 | February 8 | 52 in favor 47 against |
Secretary of Health & Human Services | Tom Price | January 18 | February 10 | 52 in favor 48 against |
Secretary of the Treasury | Steve Mnuchin | January 19 | February 13 | 53 in favor 47 against |
Secretary of Veterans Affairs | David Shulkin | February 1 | February 13 | 100 in favor 0 against |
Secretary of Commerce | Wilbur Ross | January 18 | February 27 | 72 in favor 27 against |
Secretary of the Interior | Ryan Zinke | January 17 | March 1 | 68 in favor 31 against |
Secretary of Energy | Rick Perry | January 19 | March 2 | 62 in favor 37 against |
Secretary of Housing & Urban Development | Ben Carson | January 12 | March 2 | 58 in favor 41 against |
CIA Director (Cabinet-Level) |
Mike Pompeo | January 12 | January 23 | 66 in favor 32 against |
U.N. Ambassador (Cabinet-Level) | Nikki Haley | January 18 | January 24 | 96 in favor 4 against |
Small Business Admin (Cabinet-Level) | Linda McMahon | January 24 | February 14 | 81 in favor 19 against |
Budget Director (Cabinet-Level) | Mick Mulvaney | January 24 | February 16 | 51 in favor 49 against |
Administrator of the EPA (Cabinet-Level) | Scott Pruitt | February 2 | February 17 | 52 in favor 46 against |
The Confirmation Process
- Nominee submitted for review by the
relevant US Senate Committee.
- Senate Committee conducts public
Confirmation Hearings.
- If majority of Committee approves, the nomination is "voted out" of Committee
to a full Senate "floor" vote.
- Full Senate Vote: A simple majority (51)
required to confirm. If vote is 50-50, the
Vice President casts the tie-breaking vote.
Remaining Nominees: Awaiting Committee Hearing
Cabinet
Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
Secretary of Labor, Alexander Acosta
Cabinet-level
US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer
Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats
As always, DemList will keep you informed!
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