The nomination process for appointees under President Donald Trump is gaining momentum, with several candidates being confirmed by the Senate and additional hearings lined up for more Cabinet selections. Some nominees have already begun their roles, while others are preparing to testify before the relevant Senate committees that oversee their respective agencies.
Looking ahead to the upcoming Senate hearings, the schedule includes the following:
**Wednesday**
*10 a.m. EST: Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Department of Labor*
Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican congresswoman from Oregon, narrowly lost her reelection bid last year but gained significant support from union members in her district. If confirmed, she will manage the department’s workforce and budget while establishing priorities that impact laborers’ wages, health and safety regulations, the rights to unionize, and employers’ authority to terminate employees, among other duties. Notably, she is among a select group of House Republicans who have publicly supported the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act, which aims to facilitate workers’ ability to organize and impose penalties on corporations that infringe on labor rights. This legislation could also weaken existing “right-to-work” laws found in more than half the states. Chavez-DeRemer will be presenting before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
**Thursday**
*10 a.m. EST: Linda McMahon, Department of Education*
Trump is anticipated to significantly scale back the Department of Education as part of a broader initiative. A White House executive order is reportedly in the works, directing the new education chief to begin diminishing the agency’s role while advocating for congressional action to eliminate it entirely. At a recent press conference, Trump humorously suggested McMahon’s first task: “I want Linda to put herself out of a job.” A billionaire with a background in professional wrestling, McMahon previously led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2019 and has made two unsuccessful attempts to secure a Senate seat in Connecticut as a Republican. She also served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year beginning in 2009 and has voiced her support for charter schools and school choice initiatives. Most recently, McMahon was co-chair of Trump’s transition team, aiding in the appointment of personnel for his second administration. Like Chavez-DeRemer, she will also appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
