The Trump administration’s confirmation hearings are coming in fast and hot ahead of the inauguration of the 47th president.
President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural committee just released its schedule of festivities for next week, and, though Carrie Underwood is turning plenty of heads with her commitment to perform on Monday, our eyes on the slate of confirmation hearings set for this week.
On Wednesday at 10 a.m. Eastern, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation as Secretary of State. Then, at 1 p.m. Eastern later that day, Russell Vought will seek Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs‘ approval of his return as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in which capacity he served during Trump’s first term. On Thursday, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern, hedge fund billionaire Scott Bessent will field questions from the Senate Finance Committee for his nomination to Treasury Secretary.
Each of these nominees will have sway over the future of America’s factory workers, so here’s what we’re hoping senators drill down on to ensure the Trump administration supports the engine of the United States economy.
Secretary of State:
China Policy
During his tenure in the Senate, Rubio has been a leader on China-related issues ranging from TikTok to human rights to economic and trade policy. As Secretary of State, will Rubio maintain his posture as a leading conservative voice on the need to reshape the U.S. relationship with China?
Forced Labor
Sen. Rubio authored the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act to keep Chinese goods made with forced labor out of the U.S. market. However, reports continue to surface that major brands and sectors are tainted by forced labor from the Xinjiang region. What actions will Rubio take to clamp down on what he recently called China’s “grotesque campaign of genocide” against Uyghurs and other minorities?
Foreign Assistance Programs
As Secretary of State, Rubio will play a pivotal role in various foreign assistance programs, including the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The DFC’s congressionally mandated charter is to advance U.S. foreign policy goals through taxpayer-funded offshore projects, but it has no content requirement whatsoever. In other words, significant sums of tax dollars are used to build energy, water, medical, shipping logistics, and other projects across the globe without any Buy America requirement that U.S.-produced products or construction materials be utilized. Congress will be working to reauthorize the DFC in the 119th Congress.
Rubio joined the Alliance for American Manufacturing back in May 2020 to discuss the need to reshore manufacturing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the video below for this take.
Director of Office of Management and Budget:
Appointing a MIAO Director
If confirmed, Russell Vought will be responsible for naming a new Director of the Made in America Office (MIAO), a permanent OMB office created in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to oversee the implementation of our nation’s Buy America laws. It will be critical that the MIAO office has a director who will be a champion for Buy America policies — not Buy America opponents.
BABA Implementation
Three years have passed since enactment of the Build America, Buy America (BABA). The incoming administration has a momentous opportunity to advance Trump’s “sacred rules” that include Buy American. But, to do so, OMB will need to accelerate implementation, review unnecessary waivers, and close loopholes.
Treasury Secretary:
Corporate Tax Reform
Creating a favorable tax climate for our nation’s manufacturing sector, factory workers, and the communities in which they work and live must be a priority as Congress looks to reshape the tax code in 2025. As Secretary of Treasury, which oversees the IRS and tax policy, senators will surely press Bessent on his views as this debate kicks into full gear.
Clean Energy Credits
Senators will also want to know the incoming Trump administration’s plans for various clean energy and domestic manufacturing investment incentives in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). But these policies merit further refinement to ensure that domestic manufacturers and their workers stand to benefit. For instance, Congress created a “bonus credit” for projects that utilize U.S.-produced iron and steel and other manufactured products, but Treasury guidelines have too many loopholes.
Industrial Overcapacity
Current Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on Europe and other U.S. allies to respond in a coordinated manner to China’s industrial overcapacity, which threatens strategic sectors like automobiles, semiconductors, batteries and steel. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that global steel excess capacity could increase to 644 million tons in 2025. Senators will want to know whether Bessent shares these concerns and intends to use his powers at the Treasury to address overcapacity and related trade disruptions.
How will the hearings go?
Rubio and Bessent’s respective confirmation hearings are likely to proceed smoothly, especially in contrast to embattled Fox News host and defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s confirmation. Vought, however, as an architect of the Heritage Foundation’s controversial Project 2025 may draw some ire.
Check out our cheat sheets for two other upcoming confirmation hearings: Trump’s picks for Secretary of Commerce and Transportation Secretary.