After the first full day of grilling for President-elect Donald Trump’s choices for Cabinet positions, Congress has more hearings scheduled Wednesday.
Here are the nominees set to testify before Senate committees Wednesday:
Rex Tillerson
Trump’s secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson, will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations committee at 9 am. The ExxonMobile CEO is under bipartisan scrutiny for his close ties with Russia, during a time of increased US-Russian tensions. President Vladimir Putin gave Tillerson Russia’s highest honor for a non-citizen. Critics also point out that ExxonMobil has a stated policy of promoting human rights, but under Tillerson, the company has still worked in close partnership with repressive regimes.
Sen. Jeff Sessions
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold their second day of hearings for Trump’s attorney general nominee. Most notably, Sessions is expected to hear testimony from his Senate colleague Cory Booker. During his first day of testimony, Sessions fought “damnably false charges” of racism, said he’d play no role in considering prosecuting Hillary Clinton, opposed a ban on Muslims entering the United States and said existing Supreme Court decisions on abortion and same-sex marriage are the law of the land. That hearing is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m.
Elaine Chao
The Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing for Trump’s transportation secretary pick Elaine Chao at 10:15 a.m. Chao served as secretary of labor under President George W. Bush from 2001 through 2009, and as the deputy secretary of transportation under President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1991.
Pompeo, Devos hearings delayed
Senate Republican leaders agreed to delay the confirmation hearings for education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos and CIA director nominee Rep. Mike Pompeo. The move to delay the hearings were in response to Democratic complaints that too many hearings for key nominees were planned for that day. Pompeo is scheduled for Thursday, while DeVos is scheduled for next week.
