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A number of President-elect TrumpHis second-term cabinet picks have seen his scheduled confirmation hearings postponed, with Senate committees citing pending documents.
Hearings for Doug Collins, tapped to serve as Veterans Affairs secretary, and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who was tapped to be Interior secretary, were set for Tuesday as part of the Trump’s transition team and Senate Republicans’ ambitious effort to confirm Trump’s cabinet.
However, they were delayed at the last minute. That meant two of the three hearings scheduled for Tuesday were pushed back, leaving just one hearing for the choice of defense secretary. Pete Hegseth that day.
Some of President-elect Trump’s nominees, such as Govs. Doug Burgum and Kristi Noem, have seen their confirmation hearings delayed. (Getty Images)
While more confirmation hearings took place on Wednesday, including those for Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, CIA Director pick John Ratcliffe, Transportation Secretary nominee Sean Duffy and Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, another key audience for Trump’s secretary. Homeland Security gubernatorial candidate Kristi Noem, RS.D., deferred.
According to a familiar source, Noem had completed all the necessary paperwork in a timely manner, but the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is still waiting for the FBI’s part.
Although the hearings have been moved, the Trump transition says there will be no delays in confirming his team. “There are no delays and the paperwork is being submitted quickly to ensure that the confirmation process goes smoothly and that President Trump can implement his agenda ordered by the American people on day one,” said Taylor Rogers, a spokeswoman of the Trump-Vance transition, in a statement.
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President-elect Trump picked Governor Kristi Noem to lead DHS. (Getty Images)
Each of the adjourned hearings has been rescheduled, with Burgum’s on Thursday and Noem’s on Friday. However, Collins’ hearing will not take place until the day after Trump’s inauguration, next Tuesday.
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee had not received the FBI report on Collins as of Monday afternoon, he told Fox News. All other necessary documents had been transmitted to the commission, however.
A committee aide told Fox News that the delay was not Collins’ fault, stressing that he had submitted everything on time.
“Congressman Doug Collins has submitted all of his paperwork in a timely manner and has been transparent and open with the committee,” committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said in a statement Monday. “At this time, the FBI has not completed its routine background check on Congressman Collins. Consistent with long-standing practice, the committee should have the opportunity to review the FBI file on Congressman Collins before the confirmation hearing. I hope the FBI will complete its review quickly so the committee can move forward with its role in evaluating the president’s nominee.”
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Rep. Doug Collins’ hearing for Tuesday was postponed. (Erin Scott-Pool via Getty Images)
The adjourned hearings this week join others that have not yet been noticed or scheduled by the committee chairs, such as those of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the representative for ambassador of the United Nations Elise Stefanik, RNY, and Secretary of Agriculture nominee Brooke. Rollins, among others.
Republicans have blamed delays in processing paperwork on red tape, as documents were determined to be the reason confirmation hearings are postponed or not scheduled.
A source familiar with the matter told Fox News that Senate Republicans and the Trump transition are doing everything they can, but given the federal government’s two recent snow days, document processing has fallen victim to bureaucratic gridlock.
The FBI seal is displayed on a podium before a news conference at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)
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According to a Senate Democratic source, Trump will have a difficult time trying to get nominees confirmed on the day of his inauguration. “We know he wants to do it, but it’s going to be a challenge given the delays,” they told Fox News Digital.
Waiting for the paperwork was “frustrating,” a committee GOP source told Fox News Digital. The committees have also had difficulty trying to connect with the US Office of Government Ethics regarding candidate documents. The source added that at times it seemed that the media had more information than the commission itself.
