As Trump takes office, much of his cabinet won't
WASHINGTON - On his first day in office, Donald Trump will get a taste of what it's like to work with Congress.
WASHINGTON - On his first day in office, Donald Trump will get a taste of what it's like to work with Congress.
He probably won't like it.
Senate Democrats plan to slow the confirmation of all but a handful of Trump's cabinet nominees, their leader told reporters on the eve of the presidential inauguration - a move that shows that even with GOP majorities in both chambers, Congress is tricky to navigate.
"If there was ever a group of cabinet nominees that cry out for rigorous scrutiny, it's this one," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Thursday, pointing to potential conflicts of interest, ethical lapses, and incomplete financial disclosures from some nominees.
Democrats on Friday plan to allow votes on two uncontroversial nominees - retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, to lead the Department of Defense, and retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, for the Department of Homeland Security - and Schumer indicated others might also move soon after, including Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), picked to run the CIA.
But otherwise, Trump may have to wait on some of his key cabinet choices, including picks for secretaries of state, education, and health and human services, and attorney general.
Ultimately, Democrats are unlikely to block many, if any, from taking office. But they can slow them down, using Senate rules to force up to 30 hours of debate on each.
"It's going to be somewhat of a rude awakening" for Trump, said Sarah Binder, a George Washington University political science professor. "Running the government is not running a business. You can't fire them."
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Republicans said Democrats are simply stalling - and note that 10 Democrats up for election next year, including Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.), come from states where the voters chose Trump.
"It is disappointing that we've taken this turn in the Senate where the minority openly, and in so many words, has committed to obstructing nominees to positions across the board," Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) said Thursday at a hearing on treasury secretary nominee Steve Mnuchin.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said Democrats are ruing their own rule change that allowed cabinet nominees to be confirmed with a simple Senate majority, rather than 60 votes - and powerless to stop the confirmations, are now pandering to their base.
"Since they can't stop them they have to go out and make a stink," said McConnell spokesman Don Stewart.
He pointed out that eight years ago, the GOP allowed simple voice-vote confirmations for seven of President Obama's nominees on his first day.
Still, Paul Light, an expert on presidential appointments, called the vetting this year "casual."
He said some of the flaws discovered so far - including unpaid taxes for one nominee and the revelation that another, Rep. Tom Price (R., Ga.), Trump's pick for the Department of Health and Human Services, invested in a health company while pushing a bill benefiting that company - would have been disqualifying in the past.
But Democrats' stalling will have little political payoff, he said.
"You're talking about days, not weeks or months, for goodness' sakes - do you want to spend your political capital on that?" said Light, of New York University.
The last time the Senate voted down a presidential nominee was in 1989. Since then, six others have withdrawn before votes.
Trump's team will eventually be in place. But at the start, there won't be anyone leading departments to answer big questions or resolve internal debates, Binder said.
"Empty desks are not a good thing," she said, noting that nearly 700 posts require Senate confirmation, but nominees had been submitted for only 29 as of Thursday afternoon.
Light, however, said at this stage government is "operating like cold molasses," and predicted few long-term effects from any delays.
Democrats see opportunities to weaken some nominees as they take up powerful positions.
Fumbling answers delivered by education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos became a social media hit. Rex Tillerson, Trump's pick for secretary of state, endured a grilling from a fellow Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
And the hearings have brought damaging disclosures.
Mnuchin failed to report his interest in a Cayman Islands business and more than $100 million in personal assets, the Washington Post reported Thursday, ahead of his hearing. Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R., S.C.), nominated to lead the Office of Management and Budget, acknowledged failing to pay more than $15,000 in state and federal taxes for a household worker.
"They're not really proud of this cabinet. And so they want the hearings to be as quick, as short, and as bunched up as they can be," Schumer said.
Binder said, "Democrats want Republicans to own these nominees" and any flaws they have.
Red-state Democrats, however, could face a backlash if they are seen as obstructionists. One of them, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, introduced Energy Department nominee Rick Perry at his hearing Thursday.
jtamari@phillynews.com@JonathanTamari