Confirmation hearings pose first Trump test for Senate GOP

Welcome to the online version of From the political officean evening newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, national political reporter Sahil Kapur explains how the confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, which begin tomorrow, will serve as the first loyalty test for Senate Republicans. Plus, national politics reporter Matt Dixon explains how Ron DeSantis is preparing Florida for Trump’s looming immigration crackdown.

— Adam Wollner, deputy political editor

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Blizzard of confirmation hearings to provide early Trump test for Senate Republicans

By Sahil Kapur

As a series of confirmation hearings kicks off Tuesday to fill President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet, the focus will largely be on a select group of nominees facing troubled waters.

But the new Republican-led Senate will also be in the spotlight for its first glimpse of how it will deliver on Trump’s wishes in his second term.

With each candidate requiring 50 votes to be confirmed, they will only have a three-vote margin for GOP defections before requiring Democratic votes.

The hearings will test whether the scuttling of Matt Gaetz’s short-lived bid for attorney general was a one-time rejection or a signal that Senate Republicans will show advice and consent. Trump and his allies have since pressured senators to support his remaining choices. Will they come to the hearings to ask tough questions and will they be willing to vote no if they are not satisfied? Or will they arrive with the intention of getting a yes, even if that means avoiding the tough questions and putting aside their concerns?

Some have made it clear that they will defer to Trump on his choices. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Sunday CBS’ “Facing the Nation” that he “will support each of these candidates.”

Then there are those like Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who has well-documented skepticism about Pete HegsethTrump’s embattled choice to lead the Defense Department. She’s not alone, but Ernst faces reelection in 2026 and risks becoming a primary challenger if she stands in Trump’s way.

Regarding Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump chose to lead national intelligence, concerns persist on both sides due to her past dealings with former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. There is no indication that she appeased them. As part of her damage control, Gabbard recently reversed her position on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, endorsing the controversial spying power.

And the long history of vaccine skepticism and support for abortion rights has created bipartisan problems for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he seeks to become secretary of Health and Human Services social.

With about a dozen hearings scheduled this week before Trump’s inauguration next Monday, the Senate is bracing for “a bit of a train wreck” in the coming days, said Sen. John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.

Some of Trump’s choices, including the choice of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently a senator from Florida, will likely carry with many Democratic votes.

But for the most controversial selections, Republican senators will have to decide how much they want to risk shaking things up with Trump as he seeks to establish his new administration.

Learn more about the start of the confirmation hearings →

Trump’s backyard begins plotting immigration crackdown

President-elect Donald Trump has yet to lay out the full details of how his initial executive orders will pave the way for the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants that was a central focus of his campaign.

But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he had received a briefing and was mobilizing his state to comply with the new administration’s goals.

On Monday, DeSantis called his state Legislature into a special session starting Jan. 27 to, in part, pass a sweeping immigration bill that will aim to align with executive orders Trump is expected to sign shortly after taking office on January 20. Matt Dixon reports from Tallahassee. DeSantis said he personally spoke to the president-elect about policy ideas.

“We will tailor what we do to reflect what their policies will be,” DeSantis told reporters. Although he didn’t delve into the details of what he’s heard from the new administration, the Florida governor said he anticipates Trump will likely expand the so-called 287(g) program.

This is the program that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to delegate to local officials the authority to perform certain functions typically reserved for federal immigration officials.

Under the current program, state and local governments can “opt in” to the program, but DeSantis hopes the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature will use its special session to make the program mandatory. Any final decision on language would come after Trump issues his executive orders.

“We’re going to say that sheriffs and municipalities will be part of 287(g),” he said.

Although some of Trump’s broad policy goals will require new legislation and that process is expected to take some time, his new administration has plenty of room to take unilateral action on immigration. This is part of the first wave of immigration actions he plans, which could include high-profile searches at workplacesaccording to NBC News report.

That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. Today’s newsletter was written by Adam Wollner, Scott Bland and Bridget Bowman.

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