Sunday Snapshot: Democrats throw Trump's Cabinet picks a bone
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) applauds as President Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and to mark Disability Pride Month on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 9. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Some of President-elect Trump's Cabinet and White House picks have garnered a cacophony of criticism.
But while plenty of controversial picks remain, some Democrats have expressed leniency — even excitement — to cross the aisle and vote in favor of some of them.
Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, November 24.
1. Duckworth could "absolutely" support some Trump nominees
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) has reservations about several Trump appointees — but she said Sunday there are others she could ultimately support.
The big picture: Democrats have slammed some Trump picks for their lack of experience, apparent conflicts of interest or other past controversies.
- With a slim GOP Senate majority, it's possible that all of Trump's picks don't make it through confirmation so convincing Democrats to vote for the nominees is all the more important.
State of play: Still, there are some candidates — Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as Secretary of State, for one — who have an easier path to Senate confirmation via bipartisan support.
- Duckworth characterized her relationship with Rubio as one of the "strange alliances" that forms on the Hill in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" Sunday.
- She continued: "We have a friendship; we've served together. I look forward to talking to him, to see what he's going to do and what his policies will be."
- Speaking to CBS News' Margaret Brennan, Duckworth said she could "absolutely" see herself supporting Trump's pro-union labor secretary pick, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), and others — after evaluating whether they are "willing to be independent and do the job that they are being nominated to do."
- She also named former Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Trump's pick to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, as someone she could "talk with," saying she wants to know if he would support a push toward privatizing the VA.
Yes, but: Duckworth says other Trump appointees are unfit and unqualified.
- The congresswoman, a Purple Heart recipient and combat veteran, argued former Fox News host and veteran Pete Hegseth "does not have the experience to run an organization" the size of the Department of Defense.
- And she characterized ex-Rep. and veteran Tulsi Gabbard, who Trump intends to nominate as Director of National Intelligence, as "potentially compromised" and "wholly backing and supportive of Putin," pointing to Gabbard's controversial meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and accusations she's parroted Russian propaganda.
Zoom out: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said on "Fox News Sunday" he would vote in favor of Rubio. Sen-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said he was "strongly inclined" to support Rubio during a "Meet the Press" interview.
- Fetterman said he's "open to dialogue" with Mehmet Oz — more commonly known as Dr. Oz — who Trump has tapped to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Fetterman bested Oz for his Senate seat in the 2022 midterms. And said Chavez-DeRemer is a "fantastic labor ... nominee."
2. We'll take the background check, please
Several senators across the political spectrum agree: Trump's appointees should be subject to FBI background checks.
Driving the news: But the president-elect's transition team has yet to sign agreements with the White House and Justice Department, delaying the routine FBI screenings.
- The team has opted instead to use private companies to vet potential candidates, CNN reported.
If the Trump transition team doesn't sign the agreements, the Senate could potentially vote on the president-elect's chosen Cabinet without traditional background checks — a dilemma further deepened by concerns over the controversial pasts of appointees.
- For those who need a security clearance, a background check is required, the AP notes. At least until Jan. 20, 2025, when Trump could order the necessary clearance to be issued.
What they're saying: "We require these background checks of ... drug enforcement agents. We require [them] of first-time prosecutors for the federal government. Why wouldn't we get these background checks for the most important job in the United States government?" Sen. Amy Klobuchar, (D-Minn.) asked on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.
- While Klobuchar noted the background checks and confirmation hearings could be done concurrently, she warned background check delays could lead to a slower confirmation process.
- "I don't want to have a delay — I want to have the hearings. I want to make a decision on each one of them on the merits as I've done in the past, and I can't do that without the background checks," she said.
The other side: Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) downplayed the calls for background checks when speaking to ABC's Jon Karl Sunday, saying, "I don't think the American public cares who does the background checks."
- But when pressed, he added, "I've been through confirmation as well. They need to do these checks expeditiously."
The big picture: While Trump and close allies are at times distrustful of the FBI, several other Republicans have still called for the agency to conduct background checks of the president-elect's picks.
- Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told The Hill that a private firm could "supplement" an FBI investigation, but "the FBI does have access to information that probably a private firm wouldn't have, even a really good savvy one."
3. MTG floats defunding NPR to cut government waste
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) already has ideas for how the federal government can cut some of its debt — defunding NPR and other government-funded media.
Driving the news: Defunding NPR was suggested throughout President-elect Trump's first term, and resurrected last week by Elon Musk.
What they're saying: Greene told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo that a new subcommittee working in support of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will look at cutting "everything from government-funded media programs like NPR that spread nothing but Democrat propaganda" and grant programs that "don't help the American people."
- Greene, who was stripped of her committee appointments in 2021, is the chair of the Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee, which falls within the purview of the House Oversight Committee.
- "We are going to be searching for the facts, we're going to be verifying if this is worth spending the American people's hard-earned tax dollars," she said.
Yes, but: Trump included cutting CPB's funding in budget proposals throughout his first term, none of which came to pass. Several congressional bills seeking to eliminate or drastically cut funding also failed.
Reality check: DOGE isn't an official government department and must rely on Congress to take action on proposed funding cuts.
More from Axios' Sunday coverage:
