Democrats’ grandstanding and rank hypocrisy during the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s Cabinet nominees have been nothing short of a national disgrace. But even though Democrats have made a mockery of what was once considered an important constitutional function of the United States Senate, the hearings have nonetheless provided some valuable information to the American people.
There is no doubt that Senate Democrats have acted shamefully and displayed an utter lack of class and decorum over the past few weeks. First it was Tim Kaine using Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s seven-year-old daughter as a political prop. Then it was Bernie Sanders bizarrely demanding that Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., denounce a onesie with the word “unvaxxed” on it; Mark Warner shouting down Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard when she tried to answer his question; Richard Blumenthal telling FBI Director nominee Kash Patel that he “failed his first test” for agreeing with Blumenthal’s exact words; and a host of other occasions where Democrats made complete fools of themselves trying to deliver viral “gotcha” moments for their left-wing base.
Some conservatives, justifiably angry that Democrats have used the hearings to drag the nominees (and in some cases their families) through the mud, have suggested that the Senate should dispense with confirmation hearings altogether. After all, if the hearings are just political theater, what is the point of giving Democrats a stage on which to lob nasty insults and baseless personal attacks at the individuals Trump has chosen to run the various federal departments?
On the one hand, these critics have a point. The Senate must vote to confirm the president’s Cabinet nominees (as well as judges, ambassadors, and high-ranking military officers) according to the Constitution’s “advice and consent” clause. But the idea of a public confirmation hearing is a relatively new political invention, found nowhere in the Constitution.
The first public confirmation hearing for a Cabinet nominee took place in 1929, when the Senate held open proceedings for President Herbert Hoover’s choice for Attorney General, William D. Mitchell. Prior to this, most nominees didn’t even appear before the Senate, and deliberations occurred almost entirely behind closed doors.
It was not until the 1950s that public hearings for Cabinet nominees became more routine. By the late 20th century, the televised confirmation hearings we see today became a staple of American politics, complete with all the high-flying partisan rhetoric and showmanship.
But the fact that confirmation hearings have ceased to be a legitimate tool for vetting Cabinet hopefuls doesn’t make them entirely useless – even if senators have largely abandoned responsibility to provide “advice and consent” and remain above the political fray.
For starters, Americans deserve to hear directly from top public officials. Cabinet secretaries are charged with stewarding vast sums of taxpayer dollars and ensuring the smooth operation of everything from the military to the construction of roads and bridges and disaster cleanup. Regardless of whether one agrees with a nominee’s personal politics or not, the public has a right to see those individuals questioned and pressed on potential shortcomings and conflicts of interest.
Even though the question of confirmation in most cases comes down to which party controls the Senate, in some cases the conduct of nominees during confirmation hearings can influence the final vote. In 2021, for instance, Biden Office of Management and Budget nominee Neera Tanden was slammed over past tweets referring to Maine Senator Susan Collins as “the worst,” comparing Texas Senator Ted Cruz to a vampire, and dubbing Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell “Voldemort.” Amid mounting public pressure, former Democrat Senator Joe Manchin ultimately said he would oppose Tanden’s nomination, and she withdrew from the process.
As ugly as it sometimes may be, the grueling process of a public hearing, where hostile politicians dissect the lives and careers each nominee, nonetheless tests the mettle of the men and women charged with keeping the government running. Throughout his tenure, new Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be face-to-face with top officials from China and Russia. Tulsi Gabbard will have to thwart the evil intentions of terrorists and foreign adversaries trying to harm American citizens. Shouldn’t they be able to handle a few hours of grilling from Senate Democrats?
In the case of Trump’s nominees, there is also a specific case to be made that Democrats’ confirmation hearing antics backfired on them spectacularly. As liberal senators devolved into fits of anti-Trump hysteria, the nominees remained cool and collected. What was supposed to become a headache for Trump and Republicans instead became a political liability for Democrats. Everyday Americans watching at home saw in Trump’s nominees a group of patriots dedicated to serving the country and saw in Democrat senators mean-spirited partisans trying to tear them down.
Public confirmation hearings may be far removed in practice from the role the Founders envisioned for the Senate, but they are nonetheless a valuable tool for voters in judging who is really qualified to govern this nation.
Shane Harris is the Editor-in-Chief of AMAC Newsline. You can follow him on X @shaneharris513.
I would generally agree that, if nothing else, the Senate confirmation hearings have provided the American public and the rest of the world watching these proceedings with a stark contrast between the reality of what each Cabinet nominee stands for and the hysterical, over the top fear mongering and disinformation being shouted by the Democrat Senators and the MSM in unison.
What a national embarrassment each time one of these so-called Democrat Senators or members of the MSM goes on a publicized tirade, that only serves to display how truly unqualified and incompetent they are to hold the positions they currently do. Yet amazingly, these same Democrat Senators manage to convince enough voters in their respective states to re-elect them over and over again, while doing NOTHING that benefits the people they supposedly represent. The same voters, who by the way, no doubt also tune into the MSM networks to watch the biased coverage presented on a daily basis to re-enforce the Marxist propaganda model to keep them “fired up”.
The Democrats are just more and more revealing their true character. They will never win another election. No one agrees with them. It’s like dealing with a three-year-old child no offense to three year old children. They destroy everything they touch and they spend the rest of the time trying to blame it on Donald Trump. They need to be classified as a domestic terrorist organization and as such outlawed. I’m waiting for the charges for Insurrection and treason when they tried to break into the AID America office and also stated they would not comply with any legal orders that Donald Trump issues. That is treason and insurrection. I demand investigations prosecutions and jail time
I tried watching some of the hearings, but the Democrats spent time yelling and accusing and then would barely let the nominees answer any questions, so I stopped watching. My two Oregon senators have been absolutely embarrassing to watch. I called BOTH of their offices, both in OR and the capitol and reminded them that they are there to represent ALL of us, including the 920,000 Oregonians who voted for Trump in 2024!!
Agree. Let the hearings stay. For the most part, we get to watch insane Democrat’s look even more stupid, then we already knew they were.
Better to have public hearings so that the venality and stupidity of the DIMMs can be seen by the people. If they did this in private in committee, the RATS would carry the day! The more the RATS talk, the more the people will go MAGA!!
Getting a few sticks and stones from the DemoKKKRATS in these hearings are just part of the game. Listening to their incoherent, futile blatherings is just political theater. With a majority in both Houses, most of it becomes moot. I’m sure there’s a lot of cloakroom maneuvering going on as well. ALL OF President Trump’s nominees will be confirmed as the Trump Train rolls on.
Pretty low blow that Sen Kaine decides to drag a 7 year old child during now Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. I really hope that the constituents you represent are real proud of you you meatheaed! Thank God of J.D. Vance for breaking the tie!!
I believe it’s important to keep the hearings and to keep them public. BUT there must be a call back to “ADVICE and CONSENT!” To have the hearings continue what they have been…MOCKERY and DISPARAGING of nominees MUST STOP!! This is just one more swamp to drain and return some dignity and truth to it
Over the last several decades, Democrat nominees have been, with few exceptions, rubber stamped as long as they have the basic pedigree in place. Democrat nominees and politicians have generaly been treated with kid gloves and even protected by the media. On the Republican side, nominees and politicians have been subjected to the harshest of treatment by Democrats and the media. The unintended consequences of this has been the nurturing of weak and feckless Democrats, while we get strong well prepared and ultra competent Republican nominees and (some) politicians. These strong and ultra competent people that will be put in charge of the government are about to realign government back to constitutional principals, restore common sense and reality to our society, and bring about a new American renaissance. It will be a beautiful and historic thing to witness.
It’s the slow walking of the confirmations that drives me nuts. The president should have his nominees confirmed and at work all ready. The Dims don’t give a damn about the American people.
Confirmation hearings are fine. But digging up what the dems think is dirt has nothing to do with how a person does his job. They make it personal. If they can’t find anything on the candidate they attack his family or personal relationships.That is nothing more than destroying a good capable person. The DEI cabinet members during the Biden administration showed they all were unqualified. They had the position drew a salary and we never heard from them again. The dem politicians questions are nothing more than pushing sex and sexual orientation to the fore. Not qualifications. Bernie Sanders should be ashamed of himself. It showed how low he would go, lower than low to him, not to Kennedy. This whole movement of the left shows they don’t care about people or country. Power for themselves is what they strive for.
I would agree only to the point that the demoncraps have shown their true colors. They are nothing more than vindictive children bound on keeping up the further destruction of our country. The part that I have difficulty understanding is how these morons keep getting elected. Are the people in their districts that stupid, or have they perfected the “CHEAT” on the local level to a science that automatically keeps them I’m office. As an example look at AOC’s, and Pelosi’s districts in their home states. They are filthy, overrun, districts that are full of illegals, tent cities, and garbage. How do they keep getting elected?
Well said!
The Democrats in DC are instigating their sympathizers to become obstructionists to everything President Trump is trying to do to clean up the mess they have made in the last several years. Have seen clips of them out screaming on the streets. As far as the hearing for Trump’s picks for his cabinet, all you have to do is look at who was in Biden’s cabinet to see why they are outraged! Trump is showing them what a REAL president wants is a staff of competent and wise people to work with. Biden’s cabinet looked like it came from the misfit island of clowns.
We the people of the United States voted unanimously for President Trump let’s get President’s Trumps nominees confirmed ASAP!! Stop the politics tactic’s because you do not like someone their qualifications are exemplary that’s what counts not your personal feeling. There should be no bias when electing officials. We need to end this bureaucracy now!! Let get President Trump’s cabinet confirmed now!!
I don’t like it that the confirmations are getting slow walked. However, the flip side of the coin is Kay Bailey Hutchinson‘s grilling of idiot liberal Ketanji Brown for Supreme Court Justice. Recall when Senator Hutchinson asked Brown if she could define what a woman is, and Brown danced around the question like the true idiot that she is. Sadly Brown was confirmed, which makes me question the usefulness of these hearings.
Its just a kin to running a gauntlet… and the price at the other side is well worth the verbal bashing. For those that want it sidelined, good luck with your constitutional amendment.
The democrat party has become a disgusting domestic terrorist group of sore losers, malcontents and vengeful children.
I personally would love to see the entire party disbanded and labeled as traitors to the country and Constitution. They should never be allowed to hold any government offices until they regroup as a country loving, Constitution abiding party with a new name.
Or, the democrats who love America and are disgusted with their liberal members form a new third party with a new name. That would certainly make elections interesting.
Just my thoughts, of course. I am pretty sick and tired of the sore losers being such a PIA to the God loving, Constitutional followers who are trying to bring us back to being great again.
Don’t forget, we were once the leaders of the world but the last few democrat leaders have turned us into a laughing stock around the world. It all started in 1964. Figure it out people.
I just hope the public is paying attention. The dims are saying “voters just didn’t get it.” We are smarter. BUT don’t understand how they keep elected.
I’ve had to block two of my democrat friends on facebook due to their political rants of recent. I have known and worked with/for them since the month after 9/11. The sky must really be falling.
Confirmation should be just a matter of matching qualifications to the job duties.
Returning to a merit based process for any hiring will make future confirmations easier unless politicians do not want anything to be easy and want to make theater out of all their work.
They need to stop telecasting them so the revert back to confirmation instead of “performance art”.
Fools have been in the Democratic Party for years.
Another good reason for continuing the hearings is comical relief!! Watching a bunch of children behave worse than the “real” children.
The most outstanding revelation regarding the Confirmation Hearings that are open and transparent, for us to watch is how unprofessional, childlike and downright ugly the whole proceedings can be.
These are supposed to be an interview of a chosen nominee to lead the most important departments and Secretaries of the USA! What we have seen is the most vile and ugly and unproductive proceedings.
The opponents of the nominee that are being “interviewed” to be accepted as an important and prestigious leader to be presented to the world. Instead we see the “interviewer” to denigrate and humiliate that nominee. The sadest part is the world is also watching the process by our elected leaders of our Senate?
We should hold these immature and childess Senators in mind when we return as voters in the 2026 election and use the voter booth as our voice to elect the true leadership for our nation. Make your vote a true statment of who we truly want to make decisions of choosing best leaders of the nominees?
Time to hold these petty people accountable for not being unbialsed, knowledgeable and intelligent in seeking the best leaders for our government.
The concept of public hearings is necessary, and it has brought into focus a major flaw in politics, the ability of confirmed fabricators and disrupters being allowed to run for public office. My best example is Adam Schiff who is a confirmed liar and disrupter who spent his time in congress, not doing his job but amplifying the claim that Donald Trump was a tool of Russia. This was not only proven to be fabrications perpetrated by the Clinton machine, but by admission was total lies. People like Schiff should have been censured and removed from government and charged with sedition. He, however, was allowed to run for a senate seat and because, as we all know, Democrat voters leave their brains at home when they vote, allowed his candidacy to stand and voted him into the Senate. The Senate should charge him with sedition and have him and all other disruptors immediately removed permanently and have him disbarred. This could bring decorum back to government and allow for congress to get back to the business of governing.
In my opinion, I believe that many of the Democrats, who are having their temper tantrums have been in Congress so long doing no physical work that they have lost touch with the common person. If it were not for us, common people the Congress or anyone else in government would get pay checks. It is time for those OLD fogies to either get glad we have good people trying to clean the corruption out and get rid of the trash, that think they are next to the Supreme Being when it comes to what should happen in Washington D.C.
Can we speed up process behind the scenes then??
too bad we have so many rhinos
While the spectacle of Dems trying to act senatorial is entertainment for some the delays and protests by Senators are holding up serious business in our government. There is no reason to abandon decorum or to permit the pointless delays. They can have their public spectacle and still move on. We don’t pay them for the delays. One bonus for taking them off the TV would be to remove the stage for bad comedy.
Rhinos need to step up and fight,fight,fight!
I am more frustrated by the behaviors of any Republican rhinos! The voters have sent a resounding message about supporting Trump.It is time for Republicans to get their hands dirty and fight for us Any one who fails to do so must be primaried!!!