Will Republicans try to push through some of Donald Trump's nominees without providing Democrats with the required documents? In at least one case so far, it seems that way.
|
Listen To This Story
 |
In what may be a sign of things to come, one of Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters in the Senate appears to be trying to rush the incoming president’s nominees through the confirmation process, thereby denying Democrats a chance to review important information.
Utah Republican Mike Lee, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and one of the MAGAest senators, has scheduled confirmation hearings for Doug Burgum, whom Trump tapped to run the Department of the Interior, for next week.
However, he apparently did so over the objections of the Democrats, who still have not been provided a number of documents that nominees have to provide, the panel’s ranking member Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) said.
“The Senate has a constitutional duty to advise and, if it determines, consent to the President’s nominees,” Heinrich said. “This requires careful consideration of each nominee.”
The Democrat argues that the committee would not be able to fulfill that function until senators have additional information needed to vet Burgum, the former governor of North Dakota.
“[For] decades, nominees that have come before the [committee] have submitted responses to a standard questionnaire and a completed financial disclosure form, approval from the Department’s ethics office, and completion of an FBI background check,” Heinrich stated. “Until these steps have been completed, I will not consent to notice of nomination hearings.”
And it’s not just Burgum.
The Democrat on Wednesday also sent a letter to Lee regarding the nomination of Chris Wright as secretary of Energy for whom documents like his financial disclosure report and various ethics forms are still missing.
All of this is troubling on many levels.
First of all, it is disconcerting to anybody who values transparency that potential cabinet members have not completed or submitted this important information.
This “breach of protocol and precedent,” as Heinrich calls it, also does not bode well for how Republicans plan to run the Senate now that they have regained the majority in the chamber.
There is little doubt that the incoming administration will skirt (and break) many rules and norms, and that the GOP-controlled House of Representatives will do nothing about that.
Traditionally, things in the Senate have been a bit different — even in a deeply partisan environment. In part that’s because of the chamber’s rules, the relationship senators from both parties form across the aisle (since there are fewer of them and they serve longer terms), and the need to get 60 votes for many measures.
It is an ominous sign if Republicans, even one of the most rabid supporters of Trump, begin the year by bucking well-established norms.
Finally — and this may be the most troubling aspect of this — Burgum and Wright are not considered to be overly controversial nominees, and their confirmations do not seem in doubt.
However, if Republicans are already trying to ram through nominees like this, without providing Democrats information required to properly vet Trump’s choices, then what will they do when it comes to much more problematic picks in high-profile positions like secretary of Defense, FBI director, secretary of Health and Human Services, director of National Intelligence, and others?
In these cases, it is especially important that all senators have the information they need to make informed choices, and, if necessary, reject the nominees if they turn out to be unqualified.
