What is the Senates role in Presidential cabinet nominations?
Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution provides that the President’s power to appoint individuals to high government office can only be exercised with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. While I generally defer to the President’s prerogative to chose individuals for his cabinet whose views and personalities he prefers, it is my duty as a Senator to make sure the cabinet nominee is qualified and able to fulfill all duties of the job. Senate confirmation hearings should be the toughest job interviews in the nation because of the large amount of responsibility and power held by these unelected public officials. I take my responsibility in the confirmation process of cabinet members seriously. As Supreme Court Justice Brandeis said almost a century ago, sunlight is the best disinfectant. Making sure that the confirmation process for cabinet members is transparent is fundamental to accountability and confidence in our system of government. I will continue to ask relevant questions
