Congressional Members Respond to Gabbard and Hegseth’s Cabinet Appointments

WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump’s recent announcements regarding his nominees for key national security positions in his Cabinet have sparked mixed reactions from House lawmakers.

On Nov. 13, Trump revealed that he would nominate former Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Tulsi Gabbard (R-Hawaii), as well as Fox News host Pete Hegseth to important roles in his administration. Gaetz is set to become the attorney general of the United States, overseeing the Department of Justice and federal law enforcement activities. Gabbard will take on the role of director of national intelligence, leading the U.S. intelligence community. Hegseth is slated to be the secretary of defense, in charge of the U.S. military.

Reactions to these nominations have largely followed party lines, with Republicans lauding the picks and Democrats, along with some Republicans, expressing concerns about the nominees’ qualifications to lead these critical offices.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) commented to The Epoch Times on Nov. 14, saying, “If he were looking for people, he could have found far better individuals to fill those positions.”

On the flip side, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) expressed his support for the nominees, stating, “You don’t have to question whether or not they’re going to shake things up, and kind of turn those departments upside down, and make a lot of significant changes—and that’s what we need.” He added, “[Gabbard’s] gonna be fantastic … I think Pete’s gonna be good too. He’s gonna definitely be an agent of change.”

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“The public is entitled to know the full truth about that case,” Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) told The Epoch Times on Nov. 14, a sentiment that Thompson shared.

“They should release [it], but normally when a member resigns, usually it goes nowhere,” Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) told The Epoch Times.

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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) expressed an openness to work with nominees who are confirmed by his Senate counterparts.

“I work with everyone where I can to advance the interests of the country,” Khanna told The Epoch Times. “They need to have the hearings in the Senate to be vetted.”

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recess appointments

Thune said recess appointments should happen if there is bipartisan opposition to a nominee, though he acknowledged that enough Republicans could join all Democrats in preventing a majority vote to recess.

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