{"id":2405883,"date":"2025-02-24T07:09:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T12:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cabinet-crossovers-the-democrats-breaking-party-lines-on-trumps-nominees-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T07:10:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T12:10:43","slug":"cabinet-crossovers-the-democrats-breaking-party-lines-on-trumps-nominees-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cabinet-crossovers-the-democrats-breaking-party-lines-on-trumps-nominees-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Cabinet crossovers: The Democrats breaking party lines on Trump\u2019s nominees &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcabinet-crossovers-the-democrats-breaking-party-lines-on-trumps-nominees-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2405883&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u200d article discusses the emergence of bipartisan support\u2062 among some\u200d Democrats \u2063for President Donald Trump\u2019s controversial Cabinet nominees in the Senate. Notably, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) has\u200c garnered attention for\u2064 being the only Democrat to vote for Pam Bondi as attorney \u2062general \u200dand has supported several \u200dother\u200d nominees opposed by \u2062most Democrats. Alongside him,Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV),Peter Welch \u2063(D-VT),mark Kelly\u2064 (D-AZ),and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) have also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/manchin-says-hes-thinking-seriously-about-becoming-an-independent\/\" title=\"Manchin ponders becoming an independent.\">crossed party\u200d lines<\/a> to vote for specific\u200d nominations. <\/p>\n<p>13 of the 18 Cabinet-level appointments confirmed so\u2064 far \u2063have received some Democratic votes, with Fetterman leading the\u2063 way by supporting nine nominees.\u200b This trend highlights a divide within the \u200bDemocratic Party, where\u2063 some senators \u2063advocate for a\u200d unified\u200d opposition\u200b against Trump&#8217;s nominees\u2064 due\u2064 to concerns \u200cover\u2063 his actions, while others argue for collaboration. \u200dCritics, like Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), favor a\u200d complete opposition stance, emphasizing the constitutional implications of trump&#8217;s presidency.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Democratic leadership has been lenient, \u2062allowing individual senators to make their own\u2063 decisions\u200c regarding the nominations.\u2063 The\u2064 article indicates\u200b that while some \u200cDemocrats are forming alliances\u200c with Trump, \u2064it has led to frustration within \u2062the party, showcasing varying strategic approaches in a politically charged environment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Cabinet crossovers: The Democrats breaking party lines on Trump&rsquo;s nominees<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1999562\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a> is attracting bipartisan support for some of his more controversial nominees as a handful of Senate centrists buck party lines to help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3320846\/senate-delivers-trump-confirmations-breakneck-pace-little-resistance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">confirm his Cabinet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-fetterman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">John Fetterman<\/a> (D-PA) has received the most attention for his Cabinet voting record since Trump returned to the White House. He was the only Democrat to support Pam Bondi, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3310934\/senate-confirms-pam-bondi-attorney-general-trump-doj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">confirmed<\/a> as attorney general earlier this month. His votes on Trump&rsquo;s housing and environmental chiefs, almost universally opposed by Democrats, drew attention as well.<\/p>\n<p>But Fetterman is not the only Democrat crossing party lines this Congress. Three other senators have lent bipartisan support to largely party-line nominees.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) was the lone Democrat to support <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3323428\/senate-confirms-kelly-loeffler-trump-sba-administrator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Kelly Loeffler<\/a>, Trump&rsquo;s new <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">small business administrator<\/a>, this week. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), a progressive, joined Fetterman in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3311414\/senate-confirms-scott-turner-lead-hud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">voting<\/a> for Scott Turner, the housing and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fmr-hud-secy-carson-announces-launch-of-new-conservative-non-profit\/\" title=\"Fmr. HUD Secy. Carson announces launch of new conservative non...profit\">urban development secretary<\/a>. And Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy-and-environment\/3304046\/lee-zeldin-confirmed-epa-administrator-bipartisan-senate-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">supported<\/a> Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, alongside Fetterman.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, 13 of the 18 Cabinet-level positions confirmed so far have attracted some degree of Democratic support, according to a <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/legislative\/votes_new.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">analysis<\/a>. Seven of those nominees received Democratic votes in the double digits.<\/p>\n<p>Fetterman leads that tally &mdash; he has, in total, supported nine of Trump&rsquo;s Cabinet picks. But he is also tied with three others who, although they did not always stand out as lone &ldquo;yes&rdquo; votes, have frequently joined Republicans: Sens. Gallego, Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH).<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve met with everyone that was open to meeting, and I came at it with an open mind,&rdquo; Fetterman told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;I treated everybody with respect, and I never turned it into a punching bag situation or dropped a lot of cheap heat.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>FBI Director Kash Patel, who was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3325108\/kash-patel-confirmed-lead-fbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">confirmed<\/a> on Thursday, is not Cabinet-level and was not included in the tally. Several other nominees await votes, including Trump&rsquo;s picks for labor and education secretary, U.S. trade representative, and United Nations ambassador. Trump is set to hold his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/922bca4c-52aa-41d8-b9b0-039a70c5887c?src=embed\" title=\"dem votes\" width=\"550\" height=\"1039\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe>    <\/p>\n<p>The vote breakdowns not only reveal which Democrats have been most willing to cross the aisle, but they also underscore fractures within a party trying to present a united front. Some have urged an across-the-board boycott in protest of actions Democrats say are flouting the law, including Trump&rsquo;s freeze on funds appropriated by Congress and his overhaul of the federal workforce.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad that we&rsquo;ve come together against some of the most dangerous nominees,&rdquo; Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;I just believe we are better off opposing every nominee, so long as the president is hell-bent on destroying the Constitution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Murphy is among 10 Democratic senators who have rejected all nominees besides their former Senate colleague Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was confirmed unanimously within hours of Trump&rsquo;s inauguration. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has voted for two Cabinet nominees, and Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) has supported five.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m hopeful that more and more members will decide to vote no on all nominees,&rdquo; added Murphy, who has emerged as one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3323243\/chris-murphy-democrats-anti-trump-messenger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Democrats&rsquo; leading anti-Trump messengers<\/a> in the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic leadership, for its part, is taking a hands-off approach and not whipping members to oppose nominees.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Each member&rsquo;s making up their own mind,&rdquo; Durbin told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Some have taken that [boycott] position, others have not.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, a Gallego spokesperson said voters in Arizona &ldquo;made it clear in the past election that they want a senator who will work with anyone in D.C. who will deliver on their priorities,&rdquo; including inflation, illegal immigration, and national security.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Senator Gallego has given every nominee a fair shot, and he will hold all nominees accountable if they fail to uphold the constitution and do right by Arizona families,&rdquo; the statement added. <\/p>\n<p>Fetterman met with many of Trump&rsquo;s nominees, including a headline-grabbing sitdown with Pete Hegseth, the scandal-plagued defense secretary who was confirmed without any Democratic votes.<\/p>\n<p>To the surprise of senators on both sides of the aisle, Fetterman&rsquo;s moved to the center since taking office in 2023 and is today one of the most willing to buck his party. His shift has frustrated Democrats but delighted Republicans.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks ahead of Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during a campaign event in York, Pa., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo\/Matt Rourke)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Obviously, he had a difficult beginning to the Senate,&rdquo; Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) said, referring to health challenges stemming from a stroke during Fetterman&rsquo;s 2022 campaign. &ldquo;Stepping back in and, quite frankly, saying to everybody, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m just going to call them as I see them.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s been interesting to be able to watch.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That doesn&rsquo;t mean that that&rsquo;s my first choice, my second choice, third choice, fourth choice,&rdquo; Fetterman added of his support for Trump&rsquo;s Cabinet. He noted the exception was Rubio.<\/p>\n<p>Besides Hegseth, the other four Cabinet-level nominees who did not receive any Democratic support were Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House budget director Russell Vought. Kennedy, Gabbard, and Hegseth were each opposed by one or more Republicans but still confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>In total, Rosen has supported seven Trump nominees, explaining her lone vote for Loeffer, a Republican senator of Georgia from 2020-2021, was based on the relationship the two developed when their offices were located across from one another.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3223892\/president-elect-donald-trump-cabinet-picks-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO&rsquo;S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT&rsquo;S ADMINISTRATION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I really felt she can advocate for Nevada small businesses, someone I know and have a relationship with, and it&rsquo;s important that I make those connections,&rdquo; Rosen told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s someone that I hope I can work with.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kelly and Welch have also voted for seven Trump Cabinet picks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1999562\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1999562\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats are crossing party lines to support Trump&#8217;s Cabinet nominees, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) notably backing several controversial picks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3115,"featured_media":2405884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/senate-democrats-who-have-voted-for-trump-cabinet.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5118,50951,3685,45006,32076],"class_list":["post-2405883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bipartisanship","tag-cabinet-crossovers","tag-democrats","tag-trump-nominees","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/senate-democrats-who-have-voted-for-trump-cabinet.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3115"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2405883"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2405887,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405883\/revisions\/2405887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2405884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2405883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2405883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2405883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}