What to Watch: Cabinet Hearings Resume on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON — The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, says Republicans are trying to ram through a “swamp cabinet” for President Trump. The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, says Democrats need to “stop playing political games.”
That bitter back-and-forth over the pace of approving Mr. Trump’s nominees will continue to play out on Tuesday with more hearings on Capitol Hill.
■ Amid a continuing debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act, Mr. Trump’s pick to be secretary of health and human services, Representative Tom Price of Georgia, appears before the Senate Finance Committee.
■ The president’s choice to be budget director, Representative Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, goes in front of two congressional panels.
■ Linda E. McMahon, the billionaire former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, Mr. Trump’s choice to lead the Small Business Administration, will appear before the Senate’s Small Business Committee.
Here’s what to watch:
Tom Price prepares for a second grilling.
This is Round 2 for Mr. Price, who appeared for four hours last week before the Senate health committee.
Mr. Price has been a focus of Democratic criticism of his views on issues like Medicare and Medicaid spending, and he has also faced scrutiny over stock trades during his time in Congress.
Neither line of criticism seems likely to imperil his confirmation, but he will probably face more uncomfortable questioning about his investments in health companies and his legislative actions that could have affected them.
Then there is the issue of the Affordable Care Act, which Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans are moving quickly to dismantle. At his hearing last week, Mr. Price shed little light on how the Trump administration wants to go about replacing the measure, but he did try to reassure people about the possible ramifications of repealing the existing health care law.
Expect some discussion of how the Senate confirmations are playing out. In addition to voicing support for Mr. Price, the chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, plans to criticize Democrats for trying to “delay and derail” the confirmations of Mr. Trump’s nominees, according to prepared remarks.
Another nominee will have to answer for unpaid nanny taxes.
Mr. Mulvaney will make the rounds in the Senate as he tries to lock up his confirmation to become Mr. Trump’s budget director. He will make appearances before two panels, the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
While he is sure to be peppered with questions on taxes and deficits, questions about his personal finances could prove to be the most challenging.
In a statement to the Budget Committee as part of the confirmation process, Mr. Mulvaney disclosed that he failed to pay more than $15,000 in nanny taxes from 2000 to 2004. It is the kind of oversight that has derailed presidential cabinet nominees in the past, and Mr. Mulvaney is likely to face tough questions on the matter from Democrats who have been looking to topple one of Mr. Trump’s appointments.
A deficit hawk, Mr. Mulvaney will also have to justify Mr. Trump’s plans to ramp up infrastructure spending while cutting taxes.
No smackdown likely for McMahon
Ms. McMahon is among Mr. Trump’s more unusual cabinet choices. But unlike several of his other wealthy nominees, she has been in the political arena before, as a candidate.
She spent around $100 million on unsuccessful campaigns for a Connecticut seat in the Senate in 2010 and in 2012.
But she appears likely to fare better in her latest pursuit of a government post. The two Democrats who defeated her, Senators Richard Blumenthal and Christopher S. Murphy, offered praise for her after Mr. Trump selected her for his administration.
The Senate could confirm … someone. Or not.
Republicans are eager to confirm more of Mr. Trump’s nominees, and they are contending with an abbreviated week. Republican members of the House and Senate will travel to Philadelphia for a retreat later in the week.
It remains to be seen if any of the president’s nominees will get a Senate vote on Tuesday.
P.C: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/us/politics/trump-cabinet-hearing-confirmation.html
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