Tracking Trump’s Cabinet Nominee Hearings, Confirmations

President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees face the Senate during ongoing confirmation hearings. We’re tracking the latest developments from those hearings and will continue to update this post as nominees move through the voting process toward confirmation.

Confirmed

Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Former Sen. Mark Rubio was the first confirmed Cabinet member for the second Trump administration. The Senate unanimously confirmed Rubio’s appointment Monday, and Rubio was sworn into office Tuesday.

“We need to move faster than we ever have because the world is changing faster than we ever have,” said Rubio during his remarks to State Department staff. “We really need to be thinking about where are we going to be in five, seven, 10 or 15 years.”

Rubio said changes will be coming to the department and noted that the changes aren’t punitive, but are needed to ensure the department remains a “21st century agency that can move … at the speed of relevance.”

CIA Director: John Ratcliffe

The Senate confirmed Ratcliffe in a 74-25 vote on Jan. 23, making him the second member of Trump’s new Cabinet.

Ratcliffe appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Jan. 15, where he called attention to securing the nation from global adversaries. If confirmed, he promised to prioritize workforce development and technological advancement.

“These threats converge at a time of rapid technological change. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing will define the future of national security, geopolitical power, and human civilization,” he said in his opening testimony.

Ratcliffe added that “technology is both a tool and a target,” implying technology can be leveraged by the CIA to enhance capabilities, but it has to be closely monitored as adversaries leverage tech for future attacks.

“The recent creation of the agency’s Transnational and Technology Mission Center was an acknowledgement of this fact. And the recently created position of chief technology officer showed an effort to increase technological cohesion internally and to build bridges with cutting edge technologists externally,” Ratcliffe said. “But much more has to be done. Because our adversaries … understand that the nation who wins the race in the emerging technologies of today, will dominate the world of tomorrow.”

Nominated

Office of Science and Technology Policy Director: Michael Kratsios

Trump sent Kratsios’ nomination for the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Director to the Senate on Jan. 22.

Kratsios was the U.S. chief technology officer during Trump’s first term, advising the president’s technology policy. During Trump’s first administration, the White House identified AI as a national priority, hosting the “Artificial Intelligence for American Industry” summit in Washington in 2018.

“Our free market approach to scientific discovery harnesses the combined strengths of government, industry and academia, and uniquely positions us to leverage this technology for the betterment of our great nation,” Kratsios said of the summit in 2018.

Defense Department Secretary: Pete Hegseth

Hegseth appeared before the Senate Committee on Armed Services for the first time Jan. 14.

If confirmed, Hegseth pledged to rebuild the nation’s military and alluded to the proverbial “valley of death” for defense technology in his opening remarks.

“This includes reviving our defense industrial base, reforming the acquisition process, modernizing our nuclear triad, ensuring the Pentagon can pass an audit and rapidly fielding emerging technologies,” he said.

Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary: Doug Collins

Collins appeared before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affair Jan. 21, where he pledged to continue progress with bipartisan efforts like the PACT Act, electronic health record modernization and reducing the agency’s claims backlog if confirmed.

“The MISSION Act, the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act and the PACT Act are three of the most important veterans laws in recent history. They received widespread bipartisan support because their focus is exactly where VA’s focus should be: on veteran convenience and accountability for the department. Under President Trump, these principles will guide the department in tackling some of its toughest problems,” Collins said in his opening testimony.

“We will not shy away from challenges like homelessness and suicide prevention, electronic health record modernization and shrinking the department’s claims backlog,” Collins added.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem

Noem at her Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing Jan. 17 promised to protect the nation’s digital infrastructure and bolster cybersecurity, if confirmed.

“I will leverage public-private partnerships and advance cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technologies to protect our nation’s digital landscape,” said Noem in her opening statement. “The rising threat of cyberattacks also demands our utmost attention. Our critical infrastructure, from energy grids to financial systems, is under constant attack by foreign adversaries and criminal actors. As secretary, I will prioritize a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to cybersecurity.”

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Lee Zeldin

Zeldin testified in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Jan. 16 where he promoted innovation.

“A big part of this will require building private sector collaboration to promote common sense, smart regulation that will allow American innovation to continue to lead the world. If confirmed, the EPA under my leadership will prioritize compliance as much as possible,” Zeldin said in his opening testimony.

Zeldin has previously expressed that if confirmed he wants to “unleash U.S. energy dominance” and “make America the AI capital of the world.”

Department of Energy Secretary: Chris Wright

Wright appeared before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Jan. 15, where he pledged to prioritize innovation and technology breakthroughs if confirmed.

“Throughout my lifetime, technology and innovation have immeasurably enhanced the human condition. We must protect and accelerate the work of the Department’s national laboratory network to secure America’s competitive edge and its security. I commit to working with Congress on the important missions of the national laboratories,” said Wright in his testimony.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary: Robert Kennedy

The Senate Finance Committee will hold Kennedy’s confirmation hearing Jan. 29. If confirmed, Kennedy has said he wants to provide Americans with health transparency and innovative tools to easily access their data and make the best decisions about their health care needs.

Department of Education Secretary: Linda McMahon

McMahon’s hearing is yet to be scheduled. She has previously called for national support of vocational programs to boost U.S. tech talent.

In her opinion piece, “Workforce Pell Grants will create high-paying jobs for more Americans,” McMahon wrote, “software development ‘boot camps‘ that teach coding and other skills related to digital infrastructure led to salary increases of $10,000 to $20,000 for almost all participants and increases of more than $30,000 for nearly half.”

Office of National Intelligence Director: Tulsi Gabbard

Gabbard’s hearing is yet to be scheduled. The former congresswoman has previously called for improving cyber defenses and advocated for accountability in federal tech and data practices.

“We really need to look here at the larger issue of the serious vulnerabilities that we have within our cybersecurity systems here in the United States,” Gabbard said in a 2015 interview. “We also need to recognize where else these threats are coming from. We have seen recent attacks coming from Russia, from North Korea from Iran and even reports recently that ISIS themselves are creating their own team of hacking jihadists.”

FBI Director: Kash Patel

Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin told reporters Tuesday the committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Patel Jan. 29.

Patel has expressed his plans for bolstering the nation’s cyber resiliency if confirmed by the Senate.

“The cyber stuff is in a different lane, but could expose us just as much, if not worse. And I think we’re very, very, very vulnerable to that,” said Patel an interview last year on the Shawn Ryan Show. “You need to overhaul the infrastructure around these systems to safeguard us from — what I view as — one of the easier threats our adversaries can deploy against America.”

We’re also tracking confirmations for the following nominees and will update this article as hearings unfold:

• Department of the Treasury Secretary: Scott Bessent
• Attorney General: Pam Bondi
• Department of the Interior Secretary: Doug Burgum
• Department of Agriculture Secretary: Brooke Rollins
• Department of Commerce Secretary: Howard Lutnick
• Department of Labor Secretary: Lori Chavez
• Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary: Scott Turner
• Department of Transportation Secretary: Sean Duffy
• Customs and Border Protection Commissioner: Rodney Scott
• National Institutes of Health Director: Dr. Jay Bhattacharva
• NASA Administrator: Jared Isaacman
• Small Business Administration Chief: Kelly Loeffler
• Food and Drug Administration Commissioner: Dr. Marty Makary
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator: Dr. Mehmet Oz
• United Nations Ambassador: Elise Stefanik
• Office of Management and Budget Director: Russell Vought
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director: Dr. Dave Weldon
• Federal Trade Commission Chair: Andrew Ferguson
• National Security Adviser: Mike Waltz