President-elect Donald J. Trump continued to make progress this month as he put forth numerous proposed nominees for top positions in his Cabinet and White House staff.
While the president-elect continues to roll out nominees, the Senate Judiciary Committee announced plans for the first confirmation hearings to be held Jan. 10 and 11 to consider the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to be the next U.S. attorney general. Sessions, a longtime member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who was elected to the Senate in 1996, is a former attorney general for the state of Alabama and served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama.
Other nominations announced so far that will require Senate confirmation include: Exxon/Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, secretary of State; businessman/investor Wilbur Ross, secretary of Commerce; Ret. Gen. James Mattis, secretary of Defense; activist Betsy DeVos, secretary of Education; former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, secretary of Energy; Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga), secretary of Health and Human Services; Ret. Gen. John F. Kelly. secretary of Homeland Security; surgeon Ben Carson, secretary of Housing and Urban Development; fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, secretary of Labor; former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, secretary of Transportation; Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), secretary of the Interior; former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin, secretary of the Treasury; Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, director, Environmental Protection Agency; former professional wrestling executive Linda McMahon, administrator, Small Business Administration; Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), director, Central Intelligence Agency; and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, United Nations ambassador.