RFK junior and Tulsi Gabbard, set to sail through a cowed Senate
TWO OF Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet choices appear to be heading for confirmation after winning critical Senate committee votes on February 4th. It was a political triumph for Mr Trump, whose lieutenants managed to cajole sceptical Republican senators into approving two unorthodox nominees who would not previously have been allowed near such high office. Yet this may prove to be the high point of the president’s influence over the legislative branch.
After much lobbying of wobbly senators, Robert F. Kennedy junior, Mr Trump’s pick as secretary of health and human services, and Tulsi Gabbard, his nominee as director of national intelligence, cleared their initial hurdles without much drama, albeit on strict party-line votes. Both nominees will almost certainly win approval in the full Senate, where Republicans hold a three-seat majority. Pete Hegseth, a combat veteran and Fox News host, had earlier won approval as defence secretary. Kash Patel, nominated for FBI director, is likely to be approved as well. This is a remarkable turn of events, given the shock and outcry that followed Mr Trump’s announcements of these nominees last year.
Mr Kennedy fumbled his confirmation hearing; Ms Gabbard did better but faced tough questions about her past support of Edward Snowden. Gentle persuasion, coupled with public threats to go after Republican dissenters when they sought re-election, seems to have got them through. J.D. Vance, the vice-president, coaxed former colleagues such as Todd Young, an Indiana senator and Gabbard sceptic, who announced a yes vote after lengthy conversations with the veep. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana senator and Kennedy doubter, thanked Mr Vance “for his honest counsel” when announcing that he would vote to send Mr Kennedy forward.
Behind Mr Vance’s discreet soft touch was a menacing public threat: “Any Republican Senator who votes against @TulsiGabbard deserves a primary,” declared Donald Trump junior, who rallies MAGA world to various causes. “No more Deep State bullshit!!!!” That warning carried more weight given that Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has made plain his willingness to fund primary challengers to senators seen as undermining Mr Trump.
Mr Trump was, by his standards, relatively quiet throughout. But he also let it be known that he might make recess appointments, which allow a president to bypass Senate confirmation and temporarily fill a position when Congress is not in session. Republican leaders in the Senate would prefer to avoid that for high-level nominees, though they are more open to using it for lesser positions. A wavering senator might have reasonably concluded that paying a price for a no vote on Ms Gabbard or Mr Kennedy made no sense if Mr Trump might appoint the nominee anyway.
The outcome leaves the Senate looking spineless. Indeed, only one cabinet nominee—Matt Gaetz, Mr Trump’s initial choice for attorney-general—has had to withdraw in the face of Republican opposition. But this does not mean that Mr Trump can expect smooth sailing for his forthcoming domestic legislative agenda. Strong-arming individual senators on nominations, where presidents usually receive some deference, was well-suited for a MAGA pressure campaign. It could focus on just a handful of senators and Mr Trump’s preferences were clear.
Passing complex tax-and-spending legislation will be much harder. The House of Representatives is raucous and unpredictable. Members have already shown a willingness to buck Mr Trump on fiscal matters: In December 38 Republicans voted against a Trump-endorsed budget deal. Republican senators will also assert themselves more forcefully on tax reform than on cabinet nominees.
Mr Trump is on his way to having his administration run by his people, unconventional though some of them may be. Approving a budget to run the government will be another challenge entirely. Funding runs out on March 14th. ■
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