2020ers voting on Trump Cabinet confirmations megathread

[Mr. Morden]

Since many of the prospective 2020 Dems are in the Senate, they’ll get to vote on the confirmation of the Trump Cabinet officials, both in committee and on the Senate floor.

So here’s a thread for any discussion of how any of the 2020ers are handling themselves in the hearings, and how they vote.  Do any of them try to showboat in the hearings, in order to draw national media attention to themselves?  Do they vote against confirmation on anyone specifically to be on the “right side” of 2020 Democratic primary voters?, etc.

Here are next week’s hearings, and which 2020ers are on each committee….Booker, Gillibrand (not on any of the committees meeting next week), Klobuchar, Sanders, and Warren have all hinted at 2020 ambitions in one way or another.  I’ll also include Brown and Harris, who haven’t done much of anything on their own to stoke 2020 speculation but are nonetheless speculated on quite a bit.  And I’m (for now) taking Franken, Kaine, and Warner at their word that they’re not interested in 2020.  Though if you want to add additional names here, be my guest.

Jan. 10-11:
Attorney General (Sessions) hearings before Judiciary Committee
Kloubuchar

Jan. 10:
Secretary of Homeland Security (Kelly) hearings before Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Harris

Jan. 11:
Secretary of Transportation (Chao) hearings before Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Booker
Klobuchar

Jan. 11:
CIA (Pompeo) hearings before the Intelligence Committee
Harris

Jan. 11-12:
Secretary of State (Tillerson) hearings before Foreign Relations Committee
Booker

Jan. 12:
Secretary of Defense (Mattis) hearings before Armed Services Committee
Gillibrand
Warren

Jan. 12:
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Carson) hearings before the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
Brown (ranking member)
Warren

Jan. 17:
Secretary of Education (DeVos) hearings before Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Sanders
Warren

Jan. 18:
Secretary of Commerce (Ross) hearings before the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Booker
Klobuchar

[Mr. Morden]

If anyone wants to offer any early predictions on how any of the 2020ers will vote on a given confirmation (either in their committee or for the full Senate), feel free.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Anyone who wants to be taken seriously in 2020 will vote against Tillerson, Sessions, DeVos, and Perry.

[Figueira]

Anyone who wants to be taken seriously in 2020 will vote against Tillerson, Sessions, DeVos, and Perry.

I don't see why any Democrat needs to vote for any of Trump's appointments, except people like Heitkamp, Donnelly, Manchin, etc.

[Kingpoleon]

Anyone who wants to be taken seriously in 2020 will vote against Tillerson, Sessions, DeVos, and Perry.

I don't see why any Democrat needs to vote for any of Trump's appointments, except people like Heitkamp, Donnelly, Manchin, etc.

Republicans all should have voted against Obama's appointees except Gates, Hagel, and Larry McDonald then.

[pbrower2a]

Party lines.

[Mr. Morden]

Here are next week’s hearings, and which 2020ers are on each committee….Booker, Gillibrand (not on any of the committees meeting next week), Klobuchar, Sanders, and Warren have all hinted at 2020 ambitions in one way or another.  I’ll also include Brown and Harris, who haven’t done much of anything on their own to stoke 2020 speculation but are nonetheless speculated on quite a bit.  And I’m (for now) taking Franken, Kaine, and Warner at their word that they’re not interested in 2020.  Though if you want to add additional names here, be my guest.

Jan. 10-11:
Attorney General (Sessions) hearings before Judiciary Committee
Kloubuchar

Jan. 11:
Secretary of Education (DeVos) hearings before Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Sanders
Warren

Jan. 11:
Secretary of Transportation (Chao) hearings before Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Booker
Klobuchar

Jan. 11:
Secretary of Homeland Security (Kelly) hearings before Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Booker
Harris

Jan. 11:
Secretary of State (Tillerson) hearings before Foreign Relations Committee
Booker

Jan. 12:
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Carson) hearings before the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
Brown (ranking member)
Warren

Jan. 12:
Secretary of Commerce (Ross) hearings before the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Booker
Klobuchar

*bump*

One amendment to the above: Looks like the John Kelly (DHS) hearings will actually start late tomorrow afternoon:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/04/politics/when-are-the-cabinet-senate-confirmation-hearings/

The Jeff Sessions hearings start first, at 9:30am tomorrow.

[GoTfan]

Sanders and Warren hearing DeVos?

That's gonna get pretty ugly.

[Mr. Morden]

Well, OK, I had asked if any of the 2020ers were going to do anything that would bring attention to themselves in the hearings.  Wasn't expecting this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cory-booker-jeff-sessions-testify_us_58745e51e4b043ad97e57535

[The Other Castro]

That's a bit of a risky move for Booker. It might make him come off as too partisan.

[Figueira]

Anyone who wants to be taken seriously in 2020 will vote against Tillerson, Sessions, DeVos, and Perry.

I don't see why any Democrat needs to vote for any of Trump's appointments, except people like Heitkamp, Donnelly, Manchin, etc.

Republicans all should have voted against Obama's appointees except Gates, Hagel, and Larry McDonald then.

I meant Heitkamp, Manchin, and Donnelly the Senators, not the cabinet members.

And yeah, when Democrats controlled the Senate, I wouldn't have a problem with Republicans voting against Obama appointees. It's not like it matters.

[NeederNodder]

DeVos hearings will be fun to watch

[Mr. Morden]

An updated schedule of the hearings, since some of them have been shifted around:

https://qz.com/881104/nine-confirmation-hearings-one-trump-news-conference-and-obamas-farewell-a-guide-to-the-week-in-us-politics/

Also, no surprise that in her questioning of Sessions earlier today, Klobuchar mentioned her recent trip to former Soviet republics in setting up a question about whether Sessions questioned the accuracy of the intelligence on the Russia hacks.

On another topic, while the Sessions hearings will continue into tomorrow, are the Kelly hearings really going to be all done today, even though they're just starting now, in late afternoon?  Does that mean that the committee will vote today?

[JA]

Well, OK, I had asked if any of the 2020ers were going to do anything that would bring attention to themselves in the hearings.  Wasn't expecting this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cory-booker-jeff-sessions-testify_us_58745e51e4b043ad97e57535

Good on Sen. Booker! I saw him on MSNBC last night and I have to say, I really like the man. It's good someone in the Senate is taking such a robust stand against the appointment of Sen. Sessions who, it's hard to refute, is a racist that doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the Attorney General's position.

[Mr. Morden]

Anyone who wants to be taken seriously in 2020 will vote against Tillerson, Sessions, DeVos, and Perry.

I don't see why any Democrat needs to vote for any of Trump's appointments, except people like Heitkamp, Donnelly, Manchin, etc.

I watched a little of the Kelly hearings, and (in contrast to the Sessions hearings) the questions from Democrats didn't seem to be particularly hostile.  My hunch is that most Dems will vote to confirm Kelly, as he's not nearly as controversial as many/most of the other Cabinet picks.  Though I do wonder if any of the 2020 presidential candidates will vote against confirmation on all Trump nominees on the premise that it puts them on the right side with Democratic primary voters.

[Mr. Morden]

Booker's speaking now at the Sessions hearing.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Booker currently grilling Tillerson on Crimea.

[Mr. Morden]

Booker seems to look worried much of the time:

[Sorenroy]

An updated schedule of the hearings, since some of them have been shifted around:

https://qz.com/881104/nine-confirmation-hearings-one-trump-news-conference-and-obamas-farewell-a-guide-to-the-week-in-us-politics/

I'm confused as to weather the article is saying that there is a partisan reason behind the change is schedule or weather it was moved because they felt that the schedule was crowded enough already.

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[Mr. Morden]

Booker seems to look worried much of the time:

This one's even better:

[BuckeyeNut]

Well, with his grilling of Tillerson, Rubio could be setting himself up to plausibly distance himself from Trump if Trump implodes.

Maybe even a primary challenge.

[SCNCmod]

I actually was really impressed with Tillerson... he seems much more qualified to be president that Trump.  Dems would be smart not to waste too much political capital on Tillerson- I think the public will like him (& to me, he has a chance at being a Very popular/ successful SOS).

I thought Booker was pretty good w/ Session Comments... but How was he with Tillerson...
Combative, Argumentative, Respectful, light grilling?

 (I hope one of the last two- so he doesn't come across as appear to oppose Trumps noms arbitrarily)

[Mr. Morden]

I thought Booker was pretty good w/ Session Comments... but How was he with Tillerson...
Combative, Argumentative, Respectful, light grilling?

 (I hope one of the last two- so he doesn't come across as appear to oppose Trumps noms arbitrarily)

From what I saw of Booker's questioning of Tillerson, he wasn't talking about the Russia stuff at all.  He was going after Trump's comments on Muslim registry and climate change and the like.  But since Tillerson was basically distancing himself from those comments, Booker wasn't attacking him, just Trump.

[Mr. Morden]

The Armed Services Committee voted 24-3 to grant a waiver to allow Mattis to serve as SoD, and likely 2020 presidential candidates Gillibrand and Warren were among the 3 "no" votes (Blumenthal was the third):

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/313996-armed-services-committee-easily-passes-mattis-waiver

[Mr. Morden]

The waiver passes the full Senate, 81-17:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/full-senate-passes-waiver-allowing-mattis-to-be-defense-secretary/article/2611684

Klobuchar voted in favor of the waiver, while Booker, Gillibrand, Sanders, and Warren all voted no.