At least two Democratic senators are prepared to support and work with Trump Cabinet nominations

Two Democratic senators went on Sunday morning talk shows and expressed a willingness to support Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as secretary of State, and a general willingness to keep an open mind as they consider the various nominees named by President-elect Donald Trump.  

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” he is not sure why his willingness to support some of his Republican colleagues is even controversial. He said he would support some of Trump’s nominations, including Marco Rubio, according to The Hill. 

Regarding Dr. Mehmet Oz, who was picked by Trump to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Fetterman said he doesn’t hold “any kind of bitterness” toward him. Fetterman ran against and defeated Oz in 2022 for the Senate seat he now holds. 

“I’m open to a dialogue to hear what he has to say about these things,” he said. “I’m not sure why that’s controversial.”

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, Ill., said she “looks forward” to hearing Marco Rubio during his confirmation hearing, reports The Hill. 

“I look forward to talking to him. You know, Marco Rubio, you have strange bedfellows, and you have strange alliances,” she said.

She cited their “friendship,” and referred to a time she was trying to get permission to bring her daughter onto the Senate floor. She said Rubio offered to back her “every step of the way” because he hoped to bring his kids on the floor.

“So, we have a friendship,” Duckworth said. “We’ve served together. I look forward to talking to him to see what he’s going to do or what his policies are.”

While there have been many nominees in the past to withdraw their nominations before hearings began, such as the recent example of Matt Gaetz who withdrew from consideration for attorney general, the last time a nominee to a Cabinet position was rejected by a vote in the Senate was John Tower in 1988 following the election of George H.W. Bush, according to Time magazine. Tower had been a U.S. senator from Texas and was nominated to be secretary of Defense. The last time before that was in 1959.