©  AP

President-elect Trump has filled his Cabinet and a number of senior staff roles as he prepares to return to the White House in January. 

But while most Cabinet picks will likely glide through confirmation in the GOP-led Senate, several figures are sure to face intense questioning from Republicans and Democrats alike.

Defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth, Health and Human Services pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Director of National Intelligence pick Tulsi Gabbard and Education secretary pick Linda McMahon are all expected to face tough questioning, among others.

Attention has turned to several of the Trump picks after former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who was facing allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general.

One of the most contentious nominees is Army veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to head the Pentagon. 

Hegseth served in combat, but never in a command position. He has also suggested women do not belong in combat roles. 

He has also come under scrutiny for being accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017. Hegseth claims he “was completely cleared” and his lawyer says he settled privately to avoid the allegations impacting his career.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), talking about accusations against Gaetz and Hegseth, said “any allegation of drug use and sexual misconduct or sexual crimes are serious ones that the Senate is going to take a close look at.”

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said “there’s a lot floating around out there … We need to actually be able to visit with him face-to-face,” adding the Senate Armed Services panel of which she’s a member “will do a thorough vetting.”

Ernst said a background check form the FBI on Hegseth would be “helpful.”

Trump’s transition team has yet to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Justice Department to allow the FBI to conduct background checks on the president-elect’s nominees, reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton.

Read more: 

• The 6 senators who could be key to Hegseth’s Pentagon confirmation

• GOP rep pushes back on Hegseth’s idea to fire ‘woke’ generals

• GOP senator: Americans don’t care about FBI background checks for Trump nominees

RFK Jr., trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is seen by several public officials to be unqualified, due to his lack of experience running a federal agency and unfounded theories regarding vaccines and fluoride.

He has also been accused of groping a former live-in nanny more than 20 years ago.  

The nanny, who was 23 years old at the time of the alleged assault, also claims Kennedy touched her without consent and made inappropriate advances on separate occasions. 

In October, reports indicated Kennedy and Olivia Nuzzi, then a journalist for New York Magazine, had engaged in year-long digital relationship, despite Kennedy being married. 

Kennedy has drawn attention over his views on abortion. Despite being pro-choice, he has received some early support among the GOP. Democrats are widely opposed to his nomination. 

Read more: 

• What RFK Jr. could mean for LGBTQ health care

The former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) executive Linda McMahon is Trump’s pick to head the Department of Education. 

McMahon has been a long-time Trump ally and ran two unsuccessful Senate campaigns in Connecticut. She has no experience running a federal agency, nor has she ever been a teacher. 

McMahon and her husband Vince McMahon, along with WWE and its parent company, are facing a lawsuit that alleges the defendants failed to stop “open, rampant abuse” of young boys by a WWE employee.

McMahon’s attorney has said the allegations are false. 

Former four-term Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard rankled many members of her own party when she was a Democrat in Congress and running for the party’s presidential nomination given her heterodox foreign policy views.

Now that she’s a member of the GOP and appointed to be Trump’s director of national intelligence, she’s sure to face scrutiny from Senate Republicans as well over her past statements about Ukraine, Russia, Syria and more.

Gabbard served in the Hawaii Army National Guard and deployed to Iraq, service that several pro-Trump allies have touted to shore up GOP support.

💡Perspectives:

• Donald Trump won the election. Now he’s losing it. (The Hill)

• Trump should keep Gen. CQ Brown as chair of the Joint Chiefs (The Hill)

Read more: 

• 5 things to know about Trump Agriculture pick Brooke Rollins

• Bill Clinton: Trump interested in 100 percent loyalty ‘no matter who gets hurt’

• Senate Intelligence Committee will ask Gabbard ‘lots of questions,’ Lankford says

• Former Pence adviser: Women entering Trump White House face ‘hostile environment’

• Republicans grapple with controversial Trump recess appointment scheme

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Emily Martin, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• Special counsel Jack Smith has dismissed the election subversion and classified documents cases against President-elect Trump. 

• Most Gen Z knowledge workers use artificial intelligence (AI) tools in their work, according to a new survey.

   

• President Biden pardoned turkeys Peach and Blossom this morning at the White House during the annual presidential pardon ahead of Thanksgiving.

• Charlotte Douglas International Airport employees have gone on strike during what’s expected to be the busiest travel week of the year.

• Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah are getting close to a cease-fire deal, the White House said Monday.

©  AP

Republicans and Democrats are trying to navigate their partisan divides to pass a bipartisan disaster aid bill before the end of 2024, The Hill’s Rachel Frazin and Aris Folley report.

The gist: While both parties agree the country needs to replenish funds for disaster relief programs, they disagree on where exactly the funds should go. This presents a road block for what could have been easily agreed-upon legislation.

A pair of devastating hurricanes in recent months drained the country’s Disaster Relief Fund, which is used to help communities recover from major disasters.

According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell, the fund decreased by $6 billion between October and November. If funds run out completely, the country loses the ability to pay for long-term recovery initiatives, hurting places like the Southeast impacted by Hurricanes Milton and Helene, as well as parts of Hawaii that were ravaged by wildfires last year.

The White House this week proposed $98 billion to replenish funding for disaster relief, which includes:

• $40 billion for the disaster relief fund itself
• $24 billion in assistance for farmers, $12 billion for grants through the Department of Housing and Urban Development
• $8 billion to repair highways, roads and bridges.
• $4 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency for water system upgrades, hazardous waste cleanup and air monitor repairs
• $3 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services for health care and social support in affected areas
• $1 billion for the Department of Education to help restart schools, help with staffing shortages and provide mental health support

While Republicans’ response to the top-line figure was tepid, they took more issue with the specifics of the proposal. 

House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told reporters last week that it needs to be a “very robust package” but that he would prefer to see more funds for infrastructure, and “less programmatic money.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) wants to scrub the proposal and “make sure we don’t have extraneous things in there for education.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), meanwhile, said he would like to add tax cuts to the legislation because it doesn’t “include the disaster tax relief which they’ve always done for prior disasters.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said she wants any forthcoming disaster aid to move as a stand-alone measure, instead of tying it to a larger government funding deal.

Lawmakers are optimistic that they can reach some sort of agreement on disaster relief. 

Read more: 

• Scientists identify potential link between wildfire smoke exposure and dementia diagnoses

©  AP

• California will intervene if President-elect Trump tries to eliminate the electric vehicle tax credit passed under President Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Monday. “Consumers continue to prove the skeptics wrong – zero-emission vehicles are here to stay,” Newsom said in a statement. “We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California.”

• Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) is not “not dismissing” another Senate run following his defeat this year at the hands of Republican businessman Bernie Moreno. In an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju on Sunday, Brown said he would not rule running another Senate campaign or for Ohio governor in 2026. Brown, who had served in the upper chamber since 2007, posited that Democrats lost big in 2024 because the party failed to reach working-class voters on the issues that matter to them.

   

• Just a few months after President-elect Trump flipped the battleground state of Wisconsin, the Badger State will face a high-stakes state Supreme Court election, determining its balance of power. With liberal judge Justice Ann Walsh Bradley set to retire, Republicans are eager to claim her seat and shift the majority to the right. When Bradley leaves, the partisan balance on the court will be at 3-3. But Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and former state Attorney General Brad Schimel (R) are vying for the outgoing justice’s seat.

• Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said the Bible should “absolutely” be taught in schools but as a “historical” and “cultural” document, according to a Sunday CNN interview. Lankford was asked about Oklahoma’s recent mandate requiring the Bible in all public school classrooms, as well as Bible-based curriculum as it relates to American history and culture. “As a historical document, as a cultural document, it absolutely should be taught in schools,” Lankford, a pastor, said. “As a religious document, that’s up to parents and to faith leaders off-campus.”

💡Perspectives:

• To constrain Trump, progressives should look to the states (The Hill)

• Voters say no more marijuana — Congress should take note (The Hill)

Read more: 

• Homan: ‘I guarantee’ funds will be cut from states not cooperating on deportation

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