The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, announced Monday that he would oppose a raft of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, citing the travel ban in his blanket opposition.
Schumer wrote Monday that he will 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.
Schumer also promised Monday that Democrats would specifically target Trump’s nominees on the travel ban — capitalizing on a clear political opening at the start of a hectic week in Washington.
“I will continue to demand that each nominee issue a public statement on his or her views of President Trump’s Muslim Ban, I will vote against nominees who will be the very worst of this anti-immigrant, anti-middle-class, billionaires’ club cabinet,” Schumer announced Monday morning in a Facebook post blasting Trump’s nominees.
The salvo opens a coordinated line of attack from Democrats during an intensely important week, which includes planned votes on Trump’s Treasury secretary and State Department pick and the announced roll-out of his first Supreme Court nominee.
Schumer’s opposition to Trump’s Cabinet picks is largely unsurprising — he has dubbed the President’s choices the “#SwampCabinet” — but Monday’s announcement shows the extent Democrats are likely to double down on the travel ban.
Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are scheduled to hold a rally against the travel ban in front of the Supreme Court later Monday.
