Some of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s selections for cabinet positions are set to begin confirmation hearings this week, paving the way for them to serve in their roles around the start of his administration. But the hearings — the most public part of the confirmation process — are just one feature of a complicated vetting of those hoping to run federal agencies.
The Senate, which scrutinizes and approves candidates in a process described in the Constitution as “advice and consent,” typically holds hearings with national security and law enforcement nominees first because of the sensitivity and urgency of their work. Pam Bondi, Mr. Trump’s choice for attorney general, and Pete Hegseth, his selection for defense secretary, are among more than a dozen candidates who will be questioned by lawmakers this week.
Here are the steps nominees and prospective nominees take after a president-elect chooses them for a post and before they can be confirmed.
Meetings with senators
Nominees for cabinet posts typically visit Capitol Hill well before their confirmation hearings, allowing lawmakers to get to know them informally and express support, or press them on potential policy disputes that may arise later in the confirmation process.
They work with advisers who help them navigate the Capitol complex and handle interactions with Senate committees and offices. They are typically swamped with briefing materials.
Janet Napolitano, the former governor of Arizona who became the head of the Homeland Security Department under President Barack Obama, recalled the reading she did during her confirmation process.