President Donald Trump’s pick to run the Treasury, former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin, is set for a vote Monday evening, the latest in a string of controversial nomination showdowns that have splintered Congress.
The Senate is set to vote at 7 p.m. ET on Trump’s selection of his former chief fundraiser to oversee the Treasury Department. After that, senators are expected to also vote on Trump’s pick to run Veterans Affairs, David Shulkin.
Senate Democrats appear unlikely to block Mnuchin, as they are outnumbered by a largely unified bloc of Republicans, 52-48. But Senate Democratic leaders are still looking to score some points before Mnuchin’s vote. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, will host a briefing on Trump’s “pro-Wall Street agenda” shortly before the Mnuchin vote.
The Mnuchin fight has lacked some of the last-minute theatrics that marked confirmation battles last week — including a string of protests against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and a surprising rebuke of Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the fight over Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Instead, all eyes are on Labor nominee Andrew Puzder, who will come up for a confirmation hearing Thursday, almost one week after revelations that he had hired an undocumented worker to do housework for him. That revelation has led Democrats to call for his removal as nominee, but top Republicans have stood firm behind Puzder. The main focus will be on rank-and-file Republicans, and whether they change their minds on him.
Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, continues his tour of Capitol Hill this week — with stops with Republican Sens. Todd Young of Indiana, Joni Ernst of Iowa and John Kennedy of Louisiana.
