Trump nominees face Senate confirmation hearings: AG pick Bondi questioned on access to abortion drug

Rubio argued that it is important for the United States to continue backing Kurdish fighters in Syria in the aftermath of the collapse of the government regime there.

Rubio also said he wanted to make clear to Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, that he "should not view a transition in power in the U.S. as a window which they could take advantage of to violate whatever agreements were in place" that America has with the Kurds.

Kurdish militants in Syria were crucial allies to the United States in its operations against the ISIS terror group.

Since the Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad fled his country in December, Kurdish forces there have faced increased pressure from Erdogan, who views them as an extension of Turkey's Kurdish separatist party Kurdistan Workers Party. That party, known by the acronym PKK, is designated a terrorist organization in Turkey.

"Everyone should take their hands off the region," Erdogan said at a parliamentary group meeting of his AK Party. "We will crush the heads of DAESH, YPG, and other terrorist organizations in a short time together with our Syrian brothers."

YPG is a Kurdish militant group.

— Ece Yildirim

Vought cast the deciding vote on how to say his name.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., wrapped up Vought's confirmation hearing by asking him to clear up an issue that had divided the panel.

"Sitting in this hearing for the last hour or so, I've heard your name pronounced three different ways," Lankford said.

"Can you clarify for this committee and the American people, how do you pronounce your last name?" Lankford asked.

"I appreciate that question very much, senator," Vought said. "Believe me, I've heard all of them growing up."

He confirmed that his name is pronounced like "vote."

— Kevin Breuninger

Bondi's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee finished for the day.

The committee will reconvene at 10:15 a.m. ET on Thursday to hear from a panel of outside witnesses about Bondi's nomination.

— Ece Yildirim

Bondi said that if she is confirmed as attorney general, she will not let her opposition to abortion affect how she carries out Department of Justice policy related to abortion pills.

The DOJ under the Biden administration has vigorously defended the availability of the abortion drug mifepristone.

"I have always been pro-life, but I will look at that policy," Bondi said when Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., asked if she would commit to continuing DOJ efforts to defend access to mifepristone.

"I will not let my personal beliefs affect how I carry [this] out," she said.

— Ece Yildirim

Duffy said he will review the Federal Aviation Administration's proposed $663,000 in fines on Elon Musk's company SpaceX for alleged violations of license requirements for two 2023 launches in Florida.

"I commit to doing the review," Duffy said.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called such fines "corrosive."

The FAA alleged that SpaceX used an unapproved launch control room in June 2023 and that a month later it used an unapproved rocket propellant farm, where rocket fuel, such as liquid nitrogen, is stored.

SpaceX and the FAA didn't immediately comment on Duffy's remark at his confirmation hearing.

Musk, who is the CEO of SpaceX, spent an estimated $250 million to help get Trump elected.

— Leslie Josephs

Wright said he stood by past comments he made referring to "hype" about wildfires and climate change.

Wright had previously written in a LinkedIn post, "The hype over wildfires is just hype to justify more impoverishment from bad government policies."

He linked to a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published in July 2023 that claimed climate change has not caused more severe wildfires.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., described the devastation caused by the massive wildfires in Los Angeles before asking Wright whether he still believed what he had written in the LinkedIn post.

Wright expressed sorrow over the fires and called climate change a "real and global phenomenon."

But when pressed by Padilla, Wright said: "I stand by my past comments."

— Spencer Kimball

While senators have appeared eager to support some of Trump's more controversial nominees this week, outside the Senate there are cracks in the GOP wall.

Advancing American Freedom, an organization founded by Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, has come out against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Pence's group cites Kennedy's prior comment that a woman should have the right to abortion "even if [the baby] is full term."

That position is "completely out of step with the strong, pro-life record of the first Trump Administration," AAF President Tim Chapman and Chairman Marc Short wrote in a letter to senators, as reported by The Daily Wire.

Pence tweeted The Daily Wire's article about the letter.

Kennedy's Senate confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled.

— Ece Yildirim

Rubio warned that China is likely to invade Taiwan within the next 10 years unless there is a significant change in how the superpower views the risk of doing so.

"I think we need to wrap our head around the fact that unless something dramatic changes, like an equilibrium where they conclude that the costs of intervening in Taiwan are too high, we're going to have to deal with this before the end of this decade," Rubio said.

— Dan Mangan

Vought denied that the OMB inappropriately withheld funds that Congress had allocated to Ukraine in 2019, when he was acting director of that White House office.

Vought said he disagreed with the Government Accountability Office's conclusion that the OMB violated the law by withholding the funds.

His comment came near the start of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee after ranking Democrat Gary Peters of Michigan expressed concern that "your past actions and public statements suggest that you may not follow this law in the future."

Vought said, "I will always commit to upholding the law."

— Kevin Breuninger

Rubio said Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff deserves some of the credit for the newly announced ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Witkoff "has been working cooperatively and together with the Biden administration, and in fact, I dare to say that all involved deserve credit for the cease-fire that the chairman has just announced," Rubio said.

Witkoff "has been a critical component of it, and he has been involved in it from day one," Rubio said.

Rubio's comment about the envoy came in response to a question by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., about Trump's financial connections with foreign entities.

— Kevin Breuninger

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the hearing will resume at 12:25 p.m. ET with questioning from Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

— Kevin Breuninger

Bondi refused to answer questions by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, on whether she will prosecute Trump political foes special counsel Jack Smith, former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney or Attorney General Merrick Garland.

"I am not going to answer hypotheticals. No one has been pre-judged," Bondi said.

— Ece Yildirim

Rubio says he supports NATO, but also says there is a question of what role the U.S. should play in the alliance in the future.

"The NATO alliance is a very important alliance, I believe that," Rubio said. "Without NATO, there is no end to the Cold War."

"But what's important for the United States is not just to have defense allies, it's to have capable defense allies. Allies who are capable of defending their region," he said.

"And I think there is a question to be asked, I'm not stating a public policy opinion, I'm stating a question to be asked, and that is, should the role of the United States in NATO in the 21st century be the primary defense role, or as a backstop to aggression, with countries in the region assuming more of that responsibility by contributing more?"

— Dan Mangan

Bondi vowed to "not politicize" the office of the attorney general and to administer justice "even-handedly throughout the country," in response to questions from Whitehouse on whether she would go after DOJ prosecutors or journalists.

"I believe in the freedom of speech, only if anyone commits a crime," Bondi added when asked if she would prosecute journalists.

"It would not be appropriate for a prosecutor to start with a name and look for a crime. It's a prosecutor's job to start with a crime and look for a name," Whitehouse said, which Bondi said she agreed with.

"I think the concern is that weaponization of the Justice Department may well occur under your tenure, and we want to make sure that that's not the case, that you remain independent, that you remain able to and willing to tell the president no when that's necessary to protect the Constitution and the integrity of the department," Whitehouse said.

— Ece Yildirim

Bondi defended Kash Patel, Trump's pick for FBI director, when questioned about a list of so-called Deep State executive-branch officials — dubbed an "enemies list" by critics — in his 2023 book.

"You're clearly talking about Kash Patel," Bondi said when Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., asked if she would hire someone who had such a list.

"I don't believe he has an enemies list," she said.

"He has great experience," Bondi said of Patel. "I have known Kash, and I believe that Kash is the right person at this time for this job."

She added: "There will never be an enemies list within the Department of Justice."

— Kevin Breuninger

Duffy said electric vehicle users should pay to use the country's roads.

"They should pay for use of our roads," Duffy told senators. "How to do that is a little more challenging."

Currently, the Highway Trust Fund, which is funded mostly through taxes on gasoline and diesel, builds and maintains roads and bridges. EVs, which account for about 10% of new vehicles sold last year, are heavier than gasoline-powered cars and could contribute to more wear and tear.

Some states, such as Michigan, add on registration fees for EVs since they don't contribute through fuel taxes. The EV fee in that state is $155 and is charged in addition to any regular registration fees and $255 for trucks and buses.

— Leslie Josephs and Michael Wayland

When questioned by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Bondi committed to defending the Affordable Care Act.

"I will commit to protect the laws of the United States of America," Bondi said.

The Supreme Court will be hearing challenges to preventative care requirements in the ACA, also known as Obamacare, this spring. Bondi has previously pushed back on various measures in the ACA.

"I believe this is very different," Bondi said, about the preventative care question before the Supreme Court.

— Ece Yildirim

Ratcliffe said that he wanted to "drill down and look carefully" at the mysterious phenomenon of "anomalous health incidents" also known as "Havana Syndrome."

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, had asked Ratcliffe if he could "ensure that the CIA aggressively and objectively investigates the causes of the [syndrome], including examining whether or not a foreign adversary is responsible for harming the men and women who are serving our country."

Ratcliffe replied, "Obviously, we need to know if we have an adversary that is using a weapon against our people."

— Kevin Breuninger

Protesters briefly interrupted the Senate hearing on Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Energy, oil industry executive Chris Wright.

"Fossil fuel CEOs are destroying communities like mine," a protester shouted while Wright was delivering his opening remarks. "Fossil fuel CEOs are profiting while destroying communities like mine."

Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy, a publicly traded oilfield services company headquartered in Denver. He has said in the past that "there is no climate crisis."

Wright was interrupted again by another protester as he answered a question about his divestment plans. "Chris Wright, can your fracking liquid put out the fires in LA? People are dying," the protester shouted.

— Spencer Kimball

When questioned on the results of the 2020 election, Bondi was reluctant to give a clear answer on whether she has doubts that Joe Biden won the majority of votes.

"I accept the results. I accept, of course, that Joe Biden is President of the United States. But what I can tell you is what I saw firsthand when I went to Pennsylvania as an advocate for the campaign," Bondi said. "I was on the ground in Pennsylvania and I saw many things there."

In 2020, the Trump campaign claimed there was voter fraud in Pennsylvania to discredit the results of the presidential election.

"I think that question deserves a yes or no," ranking member Sen. Dick Durbin said. "I think the length of your answer is an indication that you weren't prepared to answer yes."

— Ece Yildirim

Ratcliffe said that he will never allow "political or personal biases to cloud our judgment" if confirmed to lead the CIA.

"We will conduct covert action at the direction of the President, going places no one else can go, and doing things no one else can do," he said in his opening remarks.

"To the brave CIA officers listening around the world, if all of this sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference. If it doesn't, then it's time to find a new line of work," he said.

"We must be the ultimate meritocracy," he said. "I will not tolerate anything or anyone that distracts from our mission."

The remarks came after Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said in his own opening remarks, "I certainly hope to never again see another video statement or social media post from the CIA about diversity or equity or inclusion."

— Kevin Breuninger

Rubio drew laughs at his confirmation hearing when he quipped in response to one of several protesters who disrupted the proceeding by yelling in Spanish.

"I get bilingual protesters," cracked Rubio, a Cuban-American who is fluent in Spanish.

— Dan Mangan

The confirmation hearing for Trump's secretary of Energy pick, Chris Wright, before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee began with opening statements from Chairman Sen. Mike Lee.

— Ece Yildirim

Senate Intelligence Committee ranking member Mark Warner, D-Va., asked Ratcliffe "to reassure the men and women of the CIA that they need not fear reprisal for speaking truth to power."

"I need your commitment that you will not fire or force out CIA employees because of their perceived political views, and that you will not ask these employees to place loyalty to a political figure above loyalty to country," Warner said.

The remarks came after Warner expressed concern that Trump has engaged in "undeserved attacks upon the professional women and men of our intelligence agencies."

— Kevin Breuninger

The Senate Commerce Committee kicked off its confirmation hearing for Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Transportation, former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wisc.

The airline industry has pushed back on a host of Biden administration rules for air travelers, including automatic refunds for customers, and Duffy's approach will be a key topic, closely watched by consumer advocates and airline executives.

Duffy nodded to a major industry concern, a shortfall of air traffic controllers, in his opening testimony. He vowed to "restore global confidence in Boeing and to ensure our skies are safe," pointing to ongoing struggles of the aerospace giant and top U.S. exporter.

— Leslie Josephs

— Ece Yildirim

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee began its hearing on Rubio's nomination for secretary of state.

"Marco sees the values of our allies and democratic leaders who will stand up to our adversaries and who will work with the United States to deny footholds to communist China, Iran and Russia," said Sen. Rick Scott, Rubio's fellow Florida Republican.

- Dan Mangan

The Senate Intelligence Committee began its hearing on whether to confirm John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA.

— Kevin Breuninger

The National Border Patrol Council backed Bondi to be U.S. attorney general, saying in a statement that she "will ensure that our nation's borders are not ignored anymore."

— Kevin Breuninger

In her prepared opening remarks, Bondi praises Trump and vows to end "the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice."

Bondi says her "overriding objective" is to "return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law."

She also echoes a version of Trump's campaign slogan, saying that, "If confirmed, I will do what it takes to make America safe again."

— Kevin Breuninger

The Public Citizen advocacy group says Bondi is unsuitable as attorney general because of potential "multiple conflicts of interest for her and the" DOJ due to her prior work for 30 corporate and foreign lobbying clients.

"When Pam Bondi left her post as Florida Attorney General, she went right to work as a registered lobbyist for big corporations and registered foreign agent serving foreign interests," said Public Citizen democracy advocate Jon Golinger. "The U.S. Attorney General should be the American people's lawyer – not a corporate lobbyist with a closet full of conflicted clients, many of whom seek government contracts or are being investigated by the very Justice Department Bondi now seeks to lead."

Public Citizen's co-president, Lisa Gilbert, is scheduled to testify as a witness on Thursday at Bondi's second confirmation hearing.

- Dan Mangan

Trump's attorney general pick Pam Bondi has arrived at the Hart Senate Office Building for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

— Ece Yildirim

Pam Bondi wasn't Trump's first choice to lead the Department of Justice — she replaced former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew his bid for attorney general amid a swirl of sexual misconduct allegations and other controversies.

Bondi, the former AG of Florida and lobbyist, is a much safer pick by comparison. But she is likely to face intense scrutiny from Democrats over the extent of her loyalty to Trump, given their fears about how the incoming president might seek to wield the government's justice system against his foes.

Bondi, 59, had helped lead the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank, and defended Trump during his first Senate impeachment trial in 2020.

She has also criticized the criminal cases that Trump faced prior to his election, including those brought by former special counsel Jack Smith, claiming that the legal system was weaponized.

— Kevin Breuninger

The process of appointing Trump's Cabinet kicked off Tuesday with a contentious Senate confirmation hearing for Defense Secretary hopeful Pete Hegseth, one of the president-elect's most controversial picks.

Despite Democrats' best efforts to grill Hegseth on his relative lack of experience and a series of allegations about his past, the former Fox News host emerged from the hearing likely to be confirmed.

There were some tense moments, however. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., zeroed in on Hegseth's admitted past infidelities and a 2017 sexual assault accusation against him.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and others pressed Hegseth about his past comments opposing women in combat.

But Hegseth got a warm embrace from Republicans. A key GOP holdout, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, said later Tuesday that she would vote to confirm him.

— Kevin Breuninger

9:30 a.m. ET

• Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee

10:00 a.m. ET

• Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
• Director of Central Intelligence nominee John Ratcliffe testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee
• Secretary of Energy nominee Chris Wright testifies before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
• Secretary of Transportation nominee Sean Duffy testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee

1:00 p.m. ET

• Director of White House Office of Management and Budget nominee Russell Vought testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

— Christina Wilkie

A scheduled confirmation hearing today for South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump's pick for to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was abruptly postponed late Tuesday afternoon.

A former member of the House, Noem's confirmation process was expected to be the most controversial of today's slate.

The reason for the postponement was given, but The Hill newspaper reported that it was "due to a delay on the FBI background check" for Noem.

— Christina Wilkie