Republicans Prepare for Battle to Confirm Trump Nominees

Republicans are preparing for battle over President Donald Trump's nominees to lead three departments, The Hill reported Monday.

The nomination of Gina Haspel to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency is expected to be most controversial.

"I mean that's going to take a lot of floor time," Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., told the Hill.

"Who knows how long and how much the Democrats are going to want to weigh in with some of those. But it will for sure be time consuming. That's not going away."

Senators also will need to confirm current CIA Director Mike Pompeo as secretary of state and Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson as Veterans Affairs secretary. Republicans have 51 seats in the Senate, and need a simple majority to confirm a nominee.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has said he opposes both Pompeo and Haspel. In March, he said he would do "whatever it takes" to block them.

Jackson's lack of experience is an issue for Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. "I've never met him, don't know him. And what I do know does suggest that he needs to demonstrate that he has the qualifications, the capabilities despite the lack of experience," he told NPR in March.

Republicans are putting the fight to confirm Trump's nominees as part of their messaging heading into the 2018 midterms. "Even if we were to lose the House and be stymied legislatively, we could still approve appointments, which is a huge part of what we do," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Kentucky Today, according to the Hill.

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