The U.S. Senate is working to finalize confirmations for six remaining Cabinet-level positions in the Trump administration, with several key nominees advancing through the process.
On Thursday, the Senate invoked cloture on two major appointments—former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler as administrator of the Small Business Administration and Howard Lutnick as Commerce Department secretary. Votes on their confirmations are expected soon.
Linda McMahon, former head of the Small Business Administration under President Donald Trump, testified last week before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee as the nominee to lead the Education Department. If confirmed, McMahon would be responsible for overseeing the department’s closure, fulfilling a long-standing conservative goal to return education control to states.
Lori Chavez-DeRerner, a former Oregon congresswoman, has been nominated as Labor Secretary. She recently appeared before the Senate committee that oversees labor issues. If confirmed, she will replace Julie Su, who served as acting secretary for nearly two years without Senate approval.
Other pending confirmations include Jamieson Greer as U.S. Trade Representative and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as ambassador to the United Nations. Greer recently won approval from the Senate Finance Committee, while Stefanik remains in limbo as Senate Republicans balance their confirmation schedule with efforts to maintain their slim 218-215 majority in the House of Representatives.
In addition to these Cabinet-level confirmations, the Senate is reviewing several other high-profile nominees for key administration positions. These include Kash Patel for FBI director, Rodney Scott for commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as director of the National Institutes of Health. Other pending confirmations include Jared Isaacman for NASA administrator, Dr. Marty Makary for FDA commissioner, and Dr. Mehmet Oz for administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
As the Senate resumes work after the Presidents Day holiday, confirmation votes on several of these nominations are expected in the coming weeks.
