Vice President JD Vance issued a strong message to Senate Republicans on Wednesday, urging them to support President Donald Trump’s nominees for key federal agencies and emphasizing that the president, not individual senators, has the authority to make such appointments. Speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity from Washington, D.C., Vance defended the administration’s picks, stating that GOP lawmakers should not obstruct nominees over policy disagreements.
Vance’s comments came one day before the Senate held confirmation hearings for Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for FBI director, and Tulsi Gabbard, the president’s choice for director of national intelligence. Both Patel and Gabbard, along with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (RFK), Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, have been identified as some of the administration’s most contested selections. While their nominations have drawn scrutiny from both parties, Vance expressed confidence that they would ultimately be confirmed, although he acknowledged that it would require effort from Senate Republicans.
He described Senate Republicans as “freethinking” and “independent” but insisted that Trump’s decisions should not be blocked on the basis of isolated policy disagreements. He maintained that the Senate’s “advice and consent” role should not be used to obstruct the president’s selections unless there were serious concerns beyond political differences.
“…The president has made his selections, and the advice and consent power of the United States Senate should not be used to block people because you have one policy disagreement on one issue,” Vance told Hannity. “You don’t get to make these decisions. President Trump gets to make these decisions, and he already has.”
Vance also pointed to the electoral success of the Trump coalition in 2024, arguing that the party must embrace its expanded voter base and recognize the diverse perspectives represented in the administration. He suggested that figures like Gabbard and RFK, Jr., both of whom have previously been associated with Democratic politics, played a role in securing Trump’s victory by broadening the Republican Party’s appeal.
“Donald Trump won an imposing mandate because he got a different group of people to vote Republican than had ever voted Republican,” Vance said. “We have to give those parts of the coalition some wins, too. So, yes, we’ve got a lot of traditional Republicans in the administration. We’ve got a lot of traditional national security hawks in the administration. But we’ve also got some new people, some people who bring a fresh perspective.”
As of this writing, eight of Trump’s Cabinet nominees have been confirmed by the Senate, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
The next procedural step for Patel, Gabbard, and RFK, Jr. will be committee markup votes, where senators will debate and amend the nominations before deciding whether to advance them for full Senate confirmation. While Republican leadership has voiced support for the nominees, opposition remains from some members of both parties, setting up what could be contentious confirmation battles in the coming weeks.