It's right there in the Constitution, Faith: the president makes nominations and appointments with the "Advice and Consent" of the U.S. Senate. I take those three words seriously. So as we begin to hold confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees, I'm fulfilling my oath to uphold the Constitution and doing my due diligence. My first hearing this week was for Pete Hegseth. I've been ringing alarm bells over his nomination to be Secretary of Defense. This is someone who's been credibly accused of sexual assault, who ran not one but two nonprofits into the ground, who got so drunk at work events that colleagues felt they had to carry him back to his room, and who's said women shouldn't serve in combat. In his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, I asked him directly about those statements. I put them on the record. And I showed how he changed his tune just 32 days after the most recent of his degrading statements about women in combat roles — right after Trump nominated him for this job. These confirmation proceedings are job interviews, and I will keep seeking answers on behalf of the American people. Today, I'll get a chance to question Scott Bessent and Scott Turner, Trump's nominees to run the Treasury Department and the Housing and Urban Development Department, respectively. I've already each sent them letters with over 250 questions combined about their views, their record, and their plans. For example, I asked Bessent about his work as a hedge fund manager and the extent to which he and his associates would benefit from Trump's tax breaks — and other policies that favor the wealthy and big businesses. And I asked Turner for details about how he plans to tackle the housing affordability crisis, because although he's described the author of Project 2025's housing agenda as a "mentor," there's not much information out there about how he'd approach this job. Even if Senate Republicans are willing to rubberstamp even the least qualified, most extreme of Trump's nominees, Senate Democrats' job is to not roll over and play dead. We must do our homework and expose the facts, as loudly and as clearly as we can. We can't stop every nomination. But in Trump's first term, by asking tough questions and holding the Senate floor for hours to slow down confirmation and expose GOP extremism, Senate Democrats were able to doom some nominations, lay the groundwork for Cabinet officials to later resign in disgrace, and bring scrutiny that put some constraints on Trump's efforts. This is one example of how Senate Democrats can show up and actually limit the damage of the Trump administration over the next four years. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep up this fight. I'm grateful to the people of Massachusetts for trusting me with this role, and I'm grateful to you, Faith, for powering this work. Thanks for being a part of this, Elizabeth  | 
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