A handful of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees’ confirmation votes were postponed Monday, including Treasury Department nominee Steven Mnuchin, Health and Human Services nominee Tom Price and Small Business Administration nominee Linda McMahon.
The Senate Finance Committee will now vote on Mnuchin and Price for their Cabinet nominations at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday. Mnuchin’s vote was supposed to take place Monday night, but Democrats delayed the action.
McMahon’s hearing was postponed until “further notice,” according to a Monday night press release.
Senate Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have publicized their opposition to several of Trump’s Cabinet picks.
The New York Democrat, citing the Trump’s controversial travel ban order, announced earlier Monday that he would oppose Mick Mulvaney for Office of Management and Budget, Scott Pruitt for the Environmental Protection Agency, Rex Tillerson for secretary of state, Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Betsy DeVos for the Department of Education and Andrew Puzder for the Department of Labor.
Meanwhile, the Senate voted 56-43 on Monday to end a Democratic filibuster of Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, allowing a final confirmation vote for the former ExxonMobil CEO to take place this week.
Despite widespread Democratic opposition, Trump’s picks are expected to be confirmed. But the hold up has triggered one awkward situation for the Trump administration: Obama appointee Sally Yates, the acting attorney general, has told Justice Department lawyers not to make legal arguments defending Trump’s executive order on immigration and refugees.
