Senate braces for showdown over Trump’s nominees
By Jordain Carney - 04/08/18 05:58 PM EDT
The Senate is barreling toward a showdown over President Trump’s latest Cabinet shuffle, with three critical departments looking for new leaders and more that could follow.
Republicans are preparing for a weeks-long battle as they try to confirm CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be secretary of State and CIA deputy director Gina Haspel to succeed him.
Haspel’s nomination in particular is controversial, and the GOP has little margin for error given Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) opposition to both of Trump’s picks.
“I mean that's going to take a lot of floor time,†Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the No. 3 Senate Republican, told The Hill. “Who knows how long and how much the Democrats are going to want to weigh in with some of those. But it will for sure be time consuming. That's not going away.â€
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http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/382035-senate-braces-for-showdown-over-trumps-nominees