From the Washington Post - this
will help me schedule my calls.
Call
scripts for the Egregious Eight below (Tillerson, Sessions, Pruitt, Price,
Puzder, Mnuchin, Mulvaney, DeVos), are on another
SIPPA page.
Cantwell
and Murray have already indicated their opposition to Sessions and
DeVos. Thank the Senators and call the members of the nominees' hearing
committees (see DeVos and Sessions below).
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE:
- Monday:
- Senate
Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship votes on Linda
McMahon’s nomination to lead the Small Business Administration, time TBA
- Full Senate votes on invoking cloture for Rex Tillerson’s nomination for secretary of State at around 5:30 p.m.
- Senate Committee on Finance votes on Steven Mnuchin’s nomination for Treasury secretary around 6 p.m.
- Tuesday:
- Senate Judiciary Committee votes on Sen. Jeff Sessions’s (R-Ala.) nomination for attorney general around 9:30 a.m.
- Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources votes on Rick Perry’s nomination for secretary of Energy around 9:30 a.m.
- Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources votes on Rep. Ryan Zinke’s
(R-Mont.) nomination for secretary of Interior around 9:30 a.m.
- Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions votes on Betsy
DeVos’s nomination for secretary of Education around 10 a.m.
- Senate Committee on Finance votes on Rep. Tom Price’s nomination for Health and Human Services secretary around 10 a.m.
- Full Senate votes on Elaine Chao’s nomination for Transportation secretary around 12:20 p.m.
- Wednesday:
- Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs holds a hearing for VA secretary nominee David Shulkin
- Senate
Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs votes on Rep.
Mick Mulvaney’s nomination for OMB director around 9:40 a.m.
- Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works votes on Scott Pruitt’s nomination for EPA administrator around 10:45 a.m.
ALREADY CONFIRMED:
- Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, secretary of Defense
- Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, secretary of Homeland Security
- Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), CIA director
- South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), UN ambassador
NOMINEES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:
WHO: Ben Carson
NOMINATED FOR: Housing and Urban Development secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
LATEST VOTE:
Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee
ARGUMENT
FOR: Carson started his career as a highly accomplished surgeon before
turning his attention to politics. His many fans on the conservative
right cite his religious faith and rags-to-riches personal story as
factors behind their support. Trump has called Carson “brilliant” and a
“tough competitor.”
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Carson has no experience in
public policy and no particular expertise in housing issues. He is
known for promoting theories that prison makes inmates gay and that the
pyramids were originally constructed to store grain.
WHO: Elaine Chao
NOMINATED FOR: Transportation secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE:
12:20 p.m. Jan. 31, full Senate
ARGUMENT
FOR: Chao previously served as deputy secretary at the Transportation
Department and secretary of the Labor Department, giving her expansive
insight into the workings of federal bureaucracy. Trump praised her
“expertise,” “strong leadership” and personal background as an
immigrant.
ARGUMENT AGAINST: The nomination of Chao, a consummate
Washington insider married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
(R-Ky.), defies Trump’s promise to surround himself only with people
from outside government.
***WHO: Betsy DeVos - thank Murray and Cantwell and call hearing committee members: http://www.help.senate.gov/about/members
NOMINATED FOR: Education secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE: 10 a.m. Jan. 31, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
ARGUMENT
FOR: To supporters of school voucher programs, DeVos is a champion. A
billionaire conservative activist, she has spent millions on programs to
expand them across the country. Trump called her a “brilliant and
passionate education advocate.”
ARGUMENT AGAINST: DeVos has no
professional experience in schools and no traditional experience in
education policy. Detractors say her views pose an unprecedented threat
to the public school system as a civic institution. FURTHER OBJECTIONS + CALL SCRIPT HERE.
WHO: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R)
NOMINATED FOR: Ambassador to the United Nations
CONFIRMED? Yes.
FINAL VOTE:
96-4 on Jan. 24
ARGUMENT
FOR: A daughter of Indian immigrants and a rising Republican star,
Haley is a polished communicator with national security views that fit
into the Republican mainstream.
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Haley has
virtually no experience in foreign policy or international affairs
except for leading trade missions on behalf of South Carolina.
WHO: Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly
NOMINATED FOR: Homeland security secretary
CONFIRMED? Yes.
FINAL VOTE: 88-11 on
Jan. 20
ARGUMENT
FOR: A widely respected and long-serving military officer, Kelly
oversaw operations in Central and South America as head of the U.S.
Southern Command. Trump praised him as the “right person to spearhead
the urgent mission of stopping illegal immigration” and experienced in
stopping drug and human trafficking.
ARGUMENT AGAINST: The choice
of Kelly further raised questions about Trump’s desire to surround
himself with military generals, and Kelly has a blunt manner that can
bring him into conflict with other leaders. Detractors have raised
concerns about his past comments questioning the Pentagon order opening
jobs in combat units to women.
WHO: Robert E. Lighthizer
NOMINATED FOR: U.S. trade representative
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
SENATE HEARING: TBD
ARGUMENT
FOR: A former Reagan administration official, Lighthizer has decades of
experience in trade policy and litigation. He is currently a partner at
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he represents heavy
manufacturing, agricultural and high-tech companies and has served as
lead counsel in “scores of antidumping countervailing duty cases,”
according to his
official biography.
ARGUMENT
AGAINST: Lighthizer is a harsh critic of China and has advocated for
imposing unilateral tariffs on Chinese imports, a step many believe
would risk a trade war.
WHO: Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis
NOMINATED FOR: Defense secretary
CONFIRMED? Yes.
FINAL VOTE:
98-1 on Jan. 20
ARGUMENT
FOR: Mattis is highly experienced, having served more than four decades
in the Marine Corps, including as the chief of U.S. Central Command. He
is highly respected within the military establishment.
ARGUMENT
AGAINST: Mattis is known for making impolitic comments from time to
time, such as “It’s fun to shoot some people,” a remark he made during a
panel discussion in 2005. To lead the Pentagon, he needs a waiver from
Congress bypassing a federal law that disqualifies military personnel
who served on active duty in the previous seven years from becoming
defense secretary. He is one of several former generals expected to join
the top ranks of Trump’s administration, a source of criticism for the
president-elect.
WHO: Linda McMahon
NOMINATED FOR: Administrator of the Small Business Administration
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE: Jan. 30, Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship (Russell Senate Office Building, Room S-216)
ARGUMENT
FOR: Trump praised McMahon, the co-founder and former CEO of World
Wrestling Entertainment, as “one of the country’s top female executives
advising businesses around the globe.”
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Critics
have alleged the WWE engaged in questionable labor practices under
McMahon’s leadership, including promoting steroid and painkiller abuse
and requiring wrestlers to follow a grueling schedule that some say
contributed to their premature deaths. Democrats who oppose her
nomination say she lacks the policy knowledge to lead the SBA.
***WHO: Steven Mnuchin - Hearing committee members https://www.finance.senate.gov/about/membership
NOMINATED FOR: Treasury secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE: 6 p.m. Jan. 30, Senate Committee on Finance (Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 215)
ARGUMENT
FOR: Mnuchin, a highly successful investor and former Goldman Sachs
executive, “has played a key role in developing our plan to build a
dynamic, booming economy that will create millions of jobs,” Trump said
in November.
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Mnuchin has no government
experience and has articulated few policy views. His tenure on Wall
Street seems to contradict Trump’s populist rhetoric on the campaign
trail and has become a target for critics. FURTHER OBJECTIONS + CALL SCRIPT HERE.
WHO: Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) Hearing committee members https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/contact/committee (one convenient email form to whole committee).
NOMINATED FOR: Director of the Office of Management and Budget
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE: 9:40 a.m. Feb. 1, Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
ARGUMENT
FOR: Elected to the House in the 2010 tea party wave, Mulvaney is known
as a budget policy wonk and vociferous deficit hawk, endearing him to
fiscal conservatives. He has served on the House Budget, Financial
Services and Oversight and Government Reform Committees.
ARGUMENT
AGAINST: Mulvaney campaigned for the House on a promise never to raise
the debt ceiling and has voted several times against doing so, a
position critics believe downplays the potentially disastrous results of
a government default. Mulvaney also failed to pay more than $15,000 in
state and federal payroll taxes for a household employee, according to a disclosure form obtained by The Post. FURTHER OBJECTIONS + CALL SCRIPT HERE.
WHO: Former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue (R)
NOMINATED FOR: Agriculture secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
SENATE HEARING: TBA
ARGUMENT
FOR: Perdue has a strong background in agriculture, having grown up on a
farm, owned a grain and fertilizer business and trained as a
veterinarian. As the former governor of Georgia, a state where farming
is the largest industry, he is familiar with agricultural policy and has
experience running a government bureaucracy.
ARGUMENT AGAINST:
Opponents believe Perdue’s decisions and ties to industry will serve the
interests of agribusiness and factory farming at the expense of
environmental protection and animal welfare. Perdue has also made
statements suggesting he is skeptical of climate change.
WHO: Former Texas governor Rick Perry (R)
NOMINATED FOR: Energy secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE:
9:30 a.m. Jan. 31, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
ARGUMENT FOR: Perry was the longest-serving governor in the history of Texas, a major oil-and-gas state.
ARGUMENT
AGAINST: Perry has voiced support for abolishing the Energy Department,
and environmental groups worry his confirmation would mean rolling back
efforts to expand renewable energy. He has also repeatedly questioned
scientific findings about climate change.
WHO: Rep Mike Pompeo. (R-Kan.)
NOMINATED FOR: CIA director
CONFIRMED? Yes.
FINAL VOTE: 66-32 on
Jan. 23
ARGUMENT
FOR: Pompeo, who was elected to the House in 2010, serves on the House
Intelligence Committee. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he
served as an cavalry officer before founding an aerospace company — a
varied record that Trump favors. He was praised as “bright and
hard-working” by Democratic House colleague Adam B. Schiff (Calif.).
ARGUMENT
AGAINST: Pompeo has no meaningful experience in espionage. He is seen
as a fierce partisan on issues such as the 2012 attacks in Benghazi,
Libya, and the leaks by Edward Snowden, a tendency some CIA veterans
fear could bias his judgment.
***WHO: Rep Tom Price (R-Ga.) http://www.help.senate.gov/about/members
NOMINATED FOR: Health and Human Services secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE: 10 a.m. Jan. 31, Senate Committee on Finance https://www.finance.senate.gov/about/membership
ARGUMENT
FOR: Price, a third-generation doctor and chairman of the House Budget
Committee, is a health-care policy expert who has proposed his own
alternative to Obamacare.
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Critics point to
Price’s desire to repeal the Affordable Care Act and overhaul U.S.
entitlement programs as a reason not to confirm him. Price’s stock
portfolio is also receiving scrutiny amid revelations he bought and sold
shares in health-care companies that would be affected by legislation
he worked on. FURTHER OBJECTIONS + CALL SCRIPT HERE..
***WHO: Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt
NOMINATED FOR: EPA administrator
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE: 10:45 a.m. Feb. 1, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works - http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/members
ARGUMENT
FOR: Pruitt is an “expert in constitutional law” and “one of the
country’s top attorneys general” who has a deep familiarity with federal
environmental and energy regulations.
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Pruitt
has spent his tenure as attorney general fighting the Environmental
Protection Agency. Critics point to his philosophical differences with
the agency’s mission as reason not to confirm him.
***WHO: Andrew Puzder
NOMINATED FOR: Labor secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
SENATE HEARING: Feb. 7; Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions - http://www.help.senate.gov/about/members
ARGUMENT
FOR: Puzder is chief executive of CKE Restaurants, the parent company
of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. Trump said he has “created and boosted the
careers of thousands of Americans.”
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Detractors
point to Puzder’s opposition to the Affordable Care Act, federal rules
that would make more workers eligible for overtime pay and substantially
raising the minimum wage to argue he should not lead the Labor
Department. His ex-wife accused him of beating her — Puzder denies any
physical abuse — in their 1986 divorce proceedings. He has also faced
criticism for his company’s use of racy and suggestive advertising. FURTHER OBJECTIONS + CALL SCRIPT HERE..
WHO: Wilbur Ross
NOMINATED FOR: Commerce secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE: TBA, full Senate
ARGUMENT
FOR: Trump praised Ross, a billionaire investor who made his fortune
restructuring distressed companies, as a “champion of American
manufacturing” and “one of the greatest negotiators I have ever met.”
Supporters hope his experience as a turnaround specialist will boost
jobs and reinvigorate troubled U.S. industries.
ARGUMENT AGAINST:
Ross’s record of buying and restructuring troubled businesses sometimes
involved layoffs and budget cuts. He is a hard-line supporter of
renegotiating or withdrawing from free-trade agreements, a stance that
puts him in conflict with free-market Republican orthodoxy.
***WHO: Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) Thank Murray and Cantwell and call hearing committee members: https://aclj.org/supreme-court-justices/senate-judiciary-committee-members-contact-information-2004
NOMINATED FOR: Attorney general
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE: 9:30 a.m. Jan. 31, Senate Judiciary Committee (Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226)
ARGUMENT
FOR: Trump has praised Sessions, a longtime adviser and supporter, as a
“world-class legal mind.” First elected in 1996, Sessions previously
served as a U.S. attorney and attorney general for Alabama. He has
earned praise from Democrats who work with him.
ARGUMENT AGAINST:
Accusations of racism have dogged Sessions’s career. He was denied a
federal judgeship in 1986 after former colleagues testified he used the
n-word and said the Ku Klux Klan was “okay” until he realized Klan
members smoked marijuana. FURTHER OBJECTIONS + CALL SCRIPT HERE..
WHO: David Shulkin
NOMINATED FOR: Veterans Affairs secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
SENATE HEARING: Feb. 1, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
ARGUMENT
FOR: Shulkin already serves as VA’s Undersecretary for Health, giving
him firsthand experience leading one of the department’s largest
administrations. He was confirmed unanimously for the job in June 2015,
and prior to that, spent 30 years leading private hospitals.
ARGUMENT
AGAINST: Trump supporters say it is not clear Shulkin agrees with the
president’s desire to dramatically expand private care for veterans, and
some point to ongoing problems with the Veterans Health Administration
to argue he was the wrong choice. If confirmed, Shulkin would be the
first VA secretary not to have served in the military.
***WHO: Rex Tillerson
NOMINATED FOR: Secretary of state
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE: 5:30 p.m. Jan. 30 on invoking cloture, full Senate. Contact Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and minority leader Chuck Schumer
ARGUMENT
FOR: Trump sees Tillerson, who joined ExxonMobil in 1975 and served as
its chief executive, as the “embodiment of the American Dream.” Trump
has praised his “tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of
geopolitics.” As a global business leader, Tillerson has experience
dealing with heads of state around the world, including in Russia, Saudi
Arabia and Yemen.
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Tillerson has no experience
in the public sector, received the Order of Friendship from Russian
President Vladimir Putin and brings along potential conflicts of
interest from his business career. It’s also unclear
whether he supports sanctions implemented against Russia in 2014 over
its annexation of Crimea and Moscow’s support for separatists in
Ukraine. FURTHER OBJECTIONS + CALL SCRIPT HERE..
WHO: Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.)
NOMINATED FOR: Interior secretary
CONFIRMED? Not yet.
NEXT VOTE:
9:30 a.m. Jan. 31, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
ARGUMENT
FOR: Zinke, an outdoor enthusiast and fifth-generation Montanan, sits
on the House Natural Resources Committee. Trump praised his “impressive
portfolio on Interior issues ranging from federal mineral leases to
tribal affairs to public lands conservation” and noted his experience
and “incredible leadership skills” as a Navy SEAL from 1986 to 2008.
ARGUMENT
AGAINST: Zinke, who has spent only one term in Congress, has been
widely criticized by environmental groups for opposing their agenda on
issues ranging from protections for endangered species to coal
extraction to gas drilling. He said during a 2014 debate that climate
change is “not a hoax, but it’s not proven science either.”
.jpg)
