WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – As President-elect Donald Trump continues to name his choices for top positions in his administration’s Cabinet, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are gearing up for the confirmation process.
So far, Trump has named more than a dozen people to serve in his administration, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.
However, before those named by Trump can take on the job, they must be confirmed by the Senate through a process outlined in the Constitution.
Once the Senate receives an official nomination, it is then sent to the appropriate committee. For example, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary would be responsible for holding a hearing for the position of attorney general.
During a committee hearing, lawmakers are allowed to question a nominee on a number of topics including their background and policy positions.
The committee reviews the nomination and then sends it to the full Senate with a recommendation to approve, not approve or with no recommendation. Once the nomination is brought to the Senate floor, lawmakers agree on a date to debate the nomination. Once the debate is complete, they hold a vote.
In order to be confirmed, a nominee needs a simple majority support of senators who are present and voting.
The Senate is responsible for confirming other top leadership positions in the federal government, including ambassadors and Supreme Court justices.
What is a recess appointment?
President-elect Trump has been pressuring lawmakers in the Senate to allow him to appoint some nominees without a Senate vote, while the chamber is on recess.
This is known as a recess appointment, which the Senate has not allowed presidents to make since a 2014 Supreme Court ruling made it more challenging.
To get around recess appointments, the chamber has held “pro-forma” sessions when it is out of town for more than 10 days so that a president cannot take advantage of the absence and start filling posts that have not been confirmed.
On Wednesday, Republicans elected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as the next Senate majority leader.
Thune has previously indicated that he is willing to work with Trump to fill positions quickly saying in a statement on Sunday that “all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
