Here’s what we’re watching in transition world today:
🗓️ What we’re watching
We’re officially one week away from Donald Trump’s return to the White House, and the Senate will begin hearings for some of the president-elect’s most important nominees this week.
Trump and a group of House Republicans talked about tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase Sunday night, Meredith Lee Hill reports this morning. On Sunday, Los Angeles County officials said they invited Trump to visit the areas ravaged by ongoing wildfires and discuss federal relief, but nothing has been scheduled.
Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso is predicting “shock and awe” on Day One of the new term when he expects Trump to issue “a blizzard of executive orders on the economy, as well as on the border.”
Vice President-elect JD Vance said that people who committed violence on Jan. 6 “obviously” should not be pardoned.
Inauguration Day rehearsals took place Sunday.
👀 What’s Trump up to?
At his Mar-a-Lago club, Trump has been courting a number of House Republicans whose votes he will need to pass key pieces of his agenda, including a lavish dinner for House Freedom Caucus members on Friday. (Billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk also popped by.)
🚨What’s up with the nominees?
On Tuesday at 9 a.m., Doug Collins, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, will be the first Cabinet nominee with an official hearing, followed by embattled Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth, who will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 a.m. Interior pick Doug Burgum will appear before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee at 10 a.m.
📝ICYMI: Here are Trump’s latest administration picks
Over the weekend, Trump named a number of deputies, including Bill Briggs as deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration, Steven Gill Bradbury as deputy secretary of Transportation, Katharine MacGregor as the next deputy Interior secretary, David Fotouhi as deputy EPA administrator, James P. Danly as deputy secretary of Energy and Paul R. Lawrence as deputy secretary of Veterans Affairs.
