WASHINGTON (TNS) — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and Sen.-elect Dave McCormick, who will be sworn in next week, are preparing for one of their first tasks as Pennsylvania’s senior and junior senators in the new Congress: confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
Fetterman has made public his commitment to an open mind on Trump’s nominees, making headlines in recent weeks by being the first Democrat to meet Trump’s pick for defense secretary, embattled Fox News host and veteran Pete Hegseth. He has also endorsed Trump’s selection for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Fetterman says it’s simply his job to meet and consider the incoming president’s picks — several of whom other Democrats have already blasted as unqualified. And with Fetterman and McCormick aligned in their strong support for Israel, robust national defense and a more secure border, it appears several of Trump’s picks are eyeing potential “yes” votes out of Pennsylvania’s newly split Senate contingent.
McCormick, a Republican taking office after a narrow defeat of three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, has already started making the rounds on Capitol Hill.
He has met with at least U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s pick for United Nations ambassador, and Linda McMahon, the former professional wrestling executive nominated to lead the U.S. Department of Education.
Fetterman and McCormick will also have a unique opportunity to vote on a man they both ran against in 2022: Celebrity physician Mehmet Oz is Trump’s pick to lead the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“I believe that it’s appropriate and the responsibility of a U.S. Senator to have a conversation with President-elect Trump’s nominees,” Fetterman said on X earlier this month. “That’s why I met with Elise Stefanik and Pete Hegseth, just wrapped with Tulsi Gabbard [nominated for director of national intelligence], and look forward to my meetings with others soon. My votes will come from an open-mind and an informed opinion after having a conversation with them. That’s not controversial, it’s my job.”
McCormick earlier this month told ABC that he wants to help Trump “get the team he needs,” and that he’ll do his “due diligence” in meeting with each nominee.
Some of Trump’s picks have faced criticism over a lack of experience, questioning over views on international affairs, medicine or science, or allegations of impropriety and mismanagement. Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault and alcohol abuse while he ran nonprofits that supported veterans. He has denied wrongdoing.
Fetterman recently told ABC’s “This Week” that Hegseth may not be his first, second or third choice, “but that’s democracy.”
“It would be distressing if, if he is confirmed, if the Democrats are going to turn our back collectively to the leader of the defense,” he added. “I mean, that’s astonishing and that’s dangerous.”
Hegseth on X thanked the senator for his “fairness, courage and hospitality,” adding that he appreciated his commitment “to the troops, American defense and our ally Israel.”
Stefanik called her meeting with Fetterman “very productive” in a post on X, noting they shared a “commitment to standing with Israel and combating antisemitism.”
Fetterman posted that he’s already a “hard yes” for the Republican congresswoman.
Many Trump supporters flooded McCormick’s victory posts on social media in late November and earlier this month by urging him to support Trump nominees, especially Hegseth.
McCormick did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
But earlier this month Stefanik said she sat down with McCormick, whom she campaigned for across the Keystone State alongside Trump and other prominent Republicans.
“I know he will deliver results for the people of Pennsylvania in the Senate,” she said of McCormick on X. “We discussed promoting [Trump’s] America First peace through strength national security agenda.”
McCormick responded by thanking Stefanik for stopping by his new office and for “stepping up to take on this awesome responsibility of representing our exceptional country.”
Last week, McMahon wrapped up meetings on Capitol Hill with the senator-elect, whom she said would “always fight” for Pennsylvanians.
“Can’t wait to work with him to support schools, students and parents throughout his state,” she added on X.
McMahon headed the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term.
Last month, an Allegheny County state lawmaker urged Fetterman and McCormick to oppose Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
State Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-North Hills, a physician, cited Mr. Kennedy’s longtime anti-vaccine rhetoric and a lack of management experience for someone expected to lead a critical $150 billion federal department, WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR station, reported.
“Simply put, he is wholly unqualified and frankly dangerous to the public health and well-being of our country,” he said.
Fetterman has also appeared open to supporting Trump’s pick for FBI director, Kash Patel, and Dr. Oz, the man he beat in a bitter and costly Senate race in 2022.
He told ABC that Patel indicated he has no plans to target Trump’s so-called enemies — “that’s never going to happen,” Fetterman said.
And of Oz, he said on X that if the doctor “is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for the dude.”
The Partnership for Public Service says almost 1,200 nominations require Senate approval.
The chamber’s oversight committees can begin hearings before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, followed by a full vote in the weeks after the president-elect takes office.
