Congressional confirmation hearings for Supreme Court and Cabinet nominees

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Brett Kavanaugh: Disallow 17-year-old illegal immigrant to seek abortion.     Brett Kavanaugh: Roe is an important precedent, but stricter regulations ok.     Neil Gorsuch: Let Hobby Lobby skip contraceptives on religious grounds.     Merrick Garland: Record on abortion rights entirely blank.     Sonia Sotomayor: Precedents must be given deference in any situation.     John Roberts: Roe v. Wade is more than settled as precedent.     Jon Kyl: Nominees should not reveal pre-determined positions on Roe.     Lindsey Graham: Ginsburg would get rejected today for outspokenness on Roe.     Richard Durbin: Troubled that Alito 1985 memo shows closed mind on abortion.     Richard Durbin: Doesn’t condemn converts to pro-choice, since he did.     Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Government should fund abortion and childbirth equally.     Samuel Alito: Stare decisis is first step; then an open mind on abortion.     Samuel Alito: Was against Roe in 1985, but a lot has happened since then.     Samuel Alito: Roe v Wade is important precedent but not settled law.     John Ashcroft: Opposes Roe v Wade, but accepts it as settled law.     Elena Kagan: Health exceptions for partial-birth abortion ban.     Clarence Thomas: Defining abortion position would prejudge abortion cases.     Clarence Thomas: Personally views back-alley illegal abortions as torture.     Clarence Thomas: Never discussed Roe v. Wade in law school nor since.     Clarence Thomas: Privacy is protected; no comment on application to abortion.     Clarence Thomas: Overruling previous cases is a very serious matter.

Budget & Economy     Jeff Flake: Mocking of earmarks helped lead to moratorium.     Janet Yellen: First person to hold all three economic policymaking roles.     Pete Buttigieg: Redesigned streets proved safer & increased property values.     Pete Buttigieg: Led on local transportation issues as mayor.     Elena Kagan: 14th Amendment's "liberty clause" includes economic liberty.

Civil Rights     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Upheld program for disadvantaged small businesses.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Nomination endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Served on board for school that condemned LGBTQ people.     Tom Udall: Strong advocate for Native American tribes.     Eric Garcetti: Launched reparations initiative for Black Americans.     Cedric Richmond: Violence is not protest; that is breaking the law.     Amy Coney Barrett: Require due process for student sexual violence suspensions.     Gina Raimondo: Signs law helping gay veterans get state and local benefits.     Brett Kavanaugh: First Amendment protects religious liberty.     James Mattis: Opposed women serving in infantry; but will allow it.     James Mattis: Not about who soldiers go to bed with, but how they'll fight.     Jeff Sessions: 1986: Denied confirmation as federal judge.     Jeff Sessions: 1986: Called NAACP a "pinko" organization that hates whites.     Merrick Garland: Spotty record on supporting LGBT protests and free speech.     Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Let women sue for gender discrimination without time limits.     Elena Kagan: Military ban on gays is moral injustice of the first order.     Merrick Garland: Let civil rights plaintiffs receive appropriate day in Court.     Sonia Sotomayor: In some situations, race in some form must be considered.     Jeff Sessions: Banning the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional.     Mike DeWine: Disturbed by “free speech zones” in public arena.     Sam Brownback: Robustly religious public square better than naked square.     Samuel Alito: Overturning separate-but-equal OK despite 60-year precedent.     Samuel Alito: Treat religious speech equally with secular speech.     Samuel Alito: Racial profiling violates the 4th Amendment.     Samuel Alito: I joined CAP to defend ROTC, not to keep out minorities.     Ted Kennedy: Alito joined CAP when CAP’s racism was in the news.     Samuel Alito: Privacy is a question of interpretation of the Constitution.     Samuel Alito: The Constitution protects a right to privacy.     Samuel Alito: The President has to comply with statutes that are passed.     Gale Norton: Top priority to improve Native American schools.     John Ashcroft: As Attorney General, upholds law; no longer an advocate.     John Ashcroft: No American should suffer based on skin color.     John Ashcroft: Opposed Ronnie White on qualifications, not on skin color.     Clarence Thomas: Tension between affirmative help and undermining dignity.     Clarence Thomas: Reaching out to minorities is OK; but no quotas.     Clarence Thomas: Supports scholarships & internships for minorities & women.

Corporations     Cedric Richmond: CEO's create jobs & deserve a seat at the table.     Brett Kavanaugh: Federal regulatory agencies are threat to individual liberty.     Wilbur Ross: CEO of International Coal Group, plus Steel & Textiles.     Neil Gorsuch: Taught law school courses on anti-trust and legal ethics.     Linda McMahon: SBA should respond quickly in emergencies.     Neil Gorsuch: Don't apply "dormant commerce clause" to limit state laws.     Samuel Alito: Bundling goods to large purchasers is not monopolistic.

Crime     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Prisons must evaluate and accommodate deaf prisoners.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Miranda warning not required outside of police interrogation.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: No expectation of privacy when not in your apartment.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Denied release of child pornographer as risk to community.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Pushed to commute uncle's sentence under "three strikes" law.     Rahm Emanuel: Sat on video evidence of police murder of black teen.     Cedric Richmond: Unlike last four years, an independent Justice Department.     Cedric Richmond: Reach out to conservatives & formerly incarcerated people.     Brett Kavanaugh: Work to reduce criminal's protections.     Neil Gorsuch: Police can't knock-and-talk if you post No-Trespassing signs.     Neil Gorsuch: Police tasers aren't excessive force, even if person killed.     Neil Gorsuch: Very strict reading of relief criteria for death penalty.     Jeff Sessions: Increase in violent crime might be start of dangerous trend.     Elena Kagan: Death penalty is constitutional, but requires due process.     Sonia Sotomayor: Death penalty is constitutional under certain situations.     Russell Feingold: Death penalty defendants often don’t get adequate counsel.     Russell Feingold: Alito votes more pro-death penalty than most GOP judges.     Samuel Alito: Overruled by Supreme Court on death penalty adequate counsel.     Samuel Alito: Congress limits judicial review of death penalty cases.     Clarence Thomas: Balance victim’s rights with defendant’s rights.     Clarence Thomas: Due process in death penalty cases, but limited restrictions.     Clarence Thomas: Uniform sentencing guidelines have eliminated much disparity.

Drugs     Ketanji Brown Jackson: 100-to-one crack-powder penalty distinction unwarranted.     Jeff Sessions: Marijuana is not funny and is in fact a very real danger.     Jeff Sessions: We are in the throes of a heroin epidemic.     Merrick Garland: Let DEA decide whether marijuana has any medical benefits.     Elena Kagan: Individual suspicion required before administering drug test.

Education     Ketanji Brown Jackson: On Harvard Board of Overseers; will recuse on Harvard case.     Cedric Richmond: COVID: Reopening schools is one of our top priorities.     Brett Kavanaugh: The wall between religious schools and states must come down.     Betsy DeVos: Nothing is free; someone has to pay for "free tuition".     Betsy DeVos: No longer believe in one-size-fits-all model of learning.     Joe Biden: Princeton was last Ivy holdout to admit women & minorities.     Sam Brownback: Stare decisis would have upheld separate-but-equal.     Margaret Spellings: No Child Left Behind works.     Clarence Thomas: God in schools creates values; but wall of separation needed.

Energy & Oil     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Can't use EPA review to stop oil pipelines.     Eric Garcetti: Led more than 400 mayors to adopt Paris Climate agreement.     Eric Garcetti: Can't get our climate goals with India hitting its goals.     Ken Salazar: Allowed Arctic oil exploration; defends fracking.     Ken Salazar: Dealt with oil spill in Gulf of Mexico as Sec'y of Interior.     Jennifer Granholm: On company boards for electric charging stations, buses.     Jennifer Granholm: By investing in clean energy, America can lead on climate.     Jennifer Granholm: Combating climate change is an economic opportunity.     Cedric Richmond: Carbon neutrality by 2050 will require building coalitions.     Ken Salazar: Opposed Colorado initiative increasing drilling setbacks.     Brett Kavanaugh: Favors ethanol & clean energy over fossil fuel.     Ryan Zinke: Climate is changing; Man is an influence but what can we do?     Gale Norton: Balance energy needs with environmental protection.     Gale Norton: Will expedite natural gas exploitation in Alaska.     Gale Norton: Have open mind on global warming; there’s no consensus.

Environment     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Rejected challenge to forest management regulations.     Ken Salazar: Implemented 20-year ban on uranium mining on public lands.     Brett Kavanaugh: Suspicious of regulations on environment and worker safety.     Brett Kavanaugh: Dissents on EPA's blocking permit for strip mining operation.     Neil Gorsuch: Mother ran EPA; accused of being soft on polluters.     Ryan Zinke: Absolutely against transfer or sale of public land to states.     Ryan Zinke: Smokey the Bear should be viewed as helpful, not as police.     Ben Carson: Deregulation includes land use & federal housing policy.     Merrick Garland: Supports EPA's anti-haze regulations.     Sonia Sotomayor: Government taking to develop a blighted area was appropriate.     Dianne Feinstein: Citizens need standing to sue under Clean Water Act.     Samuel Alito: Citizens can only sue under CWA if they suffered injury.     Samuel Alito: Ruling on standing is not ruling against the environment.     Gale Norton: Protecting national parks is a common goal & a priority.     Gale Norton: Decision makers in D.C. should listen to all voices.     Gale Norton: Will use all resources of Interior to make best decisions.     Gale Norton: Norton vows to uphold laws such as Endangered Species Act.     Gale Norton: Clinton designations of national monuments to be reviewed.     Gale Norton: Will balance conservationists’ and off-roaders’ needs.     Gale Norton: Never advocated “right to pollute”.     Gale Norton: Proud of working to protect California condor.

Families & Children     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Decide child pornography based on intent, not just actions.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: 2018: Keep Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Don't require religious employers to cover contraception.     Marty Walsh: Pushed for six weeks paid parental leave for city workers.     Brett Kavanaugh: Allow churches to exclude contraceptives from insurance.     Mick Mulvaney: $15,000 in unpaid nanny taxes from triplets in 2000.

Foreign Policy     Tom Barrett: Named ambassador to Luxembourg; many emigres in Wisconsin.     Rahm Emanuel: Japan alliance cornerstone of peace & prosperity in region.     Caroline Kennedy: As ambassador, sternly warned China about military actions.     Jeff Flake: Did not oppose sale of F-35 aircraft to Turkey.     Tom Udall: Ambassador to New Zealand & Samoa: work on China threats.     Jeff Flake: Partner with Congress on U.S. voice around the world.     Jeff Flake: Opposed Congressional efforts to recognize Armenian Genocide.     Jeff Flake: U.S. foreign policy can and should be bipartisan.     Eric Garcetti: Studied Hindi & Urdu; Master's in international affairs.     Tom Udall: Udall appointment strategic; New Zealand important ally.     Ken Salazar: Mexican press supportive of appointment as ambassador.     Ken Salazar: Appointment praised by Mexican ambassador to US.     Caroline Kennedy: Being first woman ambassador to Japan a great privilege.     Caroline Kennedy: Problems that affect us locally need global solutions.     James Mattis: Putin is trying to break the North Atlantic alliance.     James Mattis: Supports NATO alliance principle of collective defense.     Mike Pompeo: Investigate Russian interference with U.S. election.     Rex Tillerson: Join with NATO allies alarmed at Russian resurgence.     Tom Coburn: Justices citing foreign law is bad behavior.     Samuel Alito: Don’t look to foreign law for civil rights interpretation.     Clarence Thomas: Supported stock divestiture from South Africa.

Free Trade     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Use only government data to set tobacco import subsidies.     Wilbur Ross: Criticized multinational trade deals: there is no free lunch.

Government Reform     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Judges should defer to expert opinion of federal agencies.     Clarence Thomas: Executive privilege applies to Trump's Jan. 6 documents.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: No executive privilege for Trump's Jan. 6 documents.     Cedric Richmond: Let's be frank with American people about coronavirus.     Marcia Fudge: Money earmarked for cities shouldn't go to governors.     Brett Kavanaugh: Upholds Supreme Court's ruling on campaign finance limits.     Brett Kavanaugh: President answers to impeachment, not to criminal charges.     Brett Kavanaugh: Federal agencies follow Congress, not make new regulations.     Marty Walsh: Voter intimidation against the law & won't be tolerated.     Neil Gorsuch: Strict originalist: interpret Constitution as Founders meant.     Ryan Zinke: Work with states and rebuild national parks.     Mike Pompeo: Russian hacking impact 2016 election & not the first time.     Neil Gorsuch: Administrative law: end the Chevron deference.     Jeff Sessions: 1986: Voting Rights Act of 1965 is "intrusive legislation".     Jeff Sessions: The South has changed; no longer any need to monitor voting.     Elena Kagan: I believed in opposing Citizens United, but we lost.     John Roberts: States waive sovereign immunity by accepting federal funds.     Merrick Garland: Preference for open & transparent government, like FOIA.     Sonia Sotomayor: The president can veto laws but not make them.     Jeff Sessions: Supreme Court exceeds its authority and needs reining in.     Samuel Alito: Over-reaching by Court undermines respect for law.     Samuel Alito: No one is above the law and no one is beneath the law.     Samuel Alito: Supports one-person-one-vote within a deviation of 10%.     Samuel Alito: Supports stare decisis--following prior precedents.     Samuel Alito: Executive power issues are not often resolved by the court.     Samuel Alito: Constitution is a living thing, with unchanging principles.     Arlen Specter: Nominees only answer as many questions as they have to.     Patrick Leahy: Justices should effectively check government overreaching.     Richard Durbin: Justices should not restrict our rights and freedoms.     Jennifer Granholm: Committed to implementing science-based policy.     Clarence Thomas: Judges should not impose their will, but just interpret law.

Gun Control     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Has never affirmed individual right to guns.     Gina Raimondo: Pushed for a permanent ban on 3D-printed guns.     Marty Walsh: Proposed giving money to states that enact gun regulation.     Brett Kavanaugh: Banning semiautomatic rifles & handgun registration unlawful.     Brett Kavanaugh: Semiautomatic rifles are not a dangerous and unusual weapon.     Marty Walsh: Called out McConnell for blocking background checks bill.     Betsy DeVos: Let local schools decide about guns in school.     Donald Trump: End gun-free zones in schools & military bases.     Neil Gorsuch: Knowingly possessing a gun illegally isn't a felony.     Jeff Sessions: As US attorney, led nation in gun prosecutions every year.     Elena Kagan: 2nd Amendment confers individual right, not broad principle.     Jeff Sessions: 2nd Amendment is a specific provision, not a broad principle.     Patrick Leahy: Heller case established a fundamental individual right.     Sonia Sotomayor: The Second Amendment gives an individual right to bear arms.     Sonia Sotomayor: Many factors influence Congress's powers on gun control.     Jennifer Granholm: Regrets signing stand-your-ground law in 2006.

Health Care     Rahm Emanuel: Wrote op-ed "Medicare-for-All is a Pipe Dream".     Rahm Emanuel: Cut deal continuing ban on negotiating on prescription drugs.     Brett Kavanaugh: Supports big healthcare mergers if they save consumer costs.     Tom Price: Give every American access to affordable health coverage.     Tom Price: No right to Medicaid under state block grants.     Neil Gorsuch: Let Christian nursing home opt out of ObamaCare.     Ben Carson: There's a strong connection between health and housing.     Neil Gorsuch: Wrote book on Assisted Suicide, and opposes it.     Samuel Alito: Ok to refuse medical treatment; but assisted suicide not ok.

Homeland Security     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Defended accused terrorist while her brother was in Iraq.     Lloyd Austin: Proud to be first African American to head Defense.     Lloyd Austin: Democracy demands competent civilian control of military.     Jennifer Granholm: DOE ensures the safety of the country's nuclear arsenal.     Brett Kavanaugh: Government metadata collection prevents terrorist attacks.     Mick Mulvaney: Raise the top line defense number.     James Mattis: Bring business reforms to the Department of Defense.     James Mattis: Don't revisit old issues; let women in combat roles.     Mike Pompeo: No torture, including coercive methods like waterboarding.     Merrick Garland: Let Abu Ghraib torture victims sue their torturers.     Elena Kagan: Al Qaeda suspects should be held under indefinite detention.     Elena Kagan: Oppose Solomon Amendment: let colleges bar ROTC recruiting.     Elena Kagan: 2009: Ok to detain enemy combatants in wartime without trial.     Patrick Leahy: Bush thinks anti-torture statue doesn’t apply to him.     Samuel Alito: President can be challenged for not following Congress’ laws.     Samuel Alito: Government needs to justify domestic spying.     Ted Kennedy: All-powerful executive branch is genuinely troubling.     Elena Kagan: Apply rule of law to Guantanamo detainees.     Donald Rumsfeld: Deploy missile defense at home and for allies abroad.     Donald Rumsfeld: Involve Russia in negotiations about SDI & nukes.

Immigration     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Trump administration set asylum seeking standards too high.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Due process for immigrants regardless of legal status.     Jeff Flake: Was part of bipartisan Gang of Eight on immigration reform.     Ken Salazar: Border relationships are about building trust, not walls.     Alejandro Mayorkas: Would not abolish nor defund ICE; it plays a critical role.     Alejandro Mayorkas: Border is varied; monolithic answer like wall isn't needed.     Alejandro Mayorkas: Was chief architect of DACA; opponents call this a negative.     John F. Kelly: Enforce deportation of DREAMers because it's the law.     Amy Coney Barrett: Let embassies abroad reject visas for any reason.     Brett Kavanaugh: Two cases shine light on leaning towards anti-immigration.     Jennifer Granholm: DACA fix has to happen, lift the cap on visas.     Herbert Kohl: Alito sided against immigrants 88% of the time.     Samuel Alito: Voted against immigrants because Congress set law that way.

Jobs     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Follows precedent in workplace racial discrimination cases.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Lengthy discovery needed in employment discrimination cases.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Reversed narrowing of federal collective bargaining rules.     Janet Yellen: Addressing working women issues would be good for economy.     Jennifer Granholm: Worked to foster job growth in advance energy sector.     Jennifer Granholm: Environmental equity: jobs & benefits to those hardest hit.     Brett Kavanaugh: Congress decides worker safety issues, not regulatory agency.     Merrick Garland: Regulatory agency decides worker safety issues, not Congress.     Elena Kagan: Let Congress fix problems like Ledbetter Act, not judges.     Jeff Sessions: Courts shouldn't overrule Congress on job discrimination.     Sonia Sotomayor: The Supreme Court's Ricci decision set a new standard.

Principles & Values     Ketanji Brown Jackson: OpEd: does affirmative action apply to qualified nominees?     Ketanji Brown Jackson: I do not have a judicial philosophy per se.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Religious liberty is foundational tenet of our government.     Joe Donnelly: Irish Catholic faith deeply important.     Joe Donnelly: Appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See.     Rahm Emanuel: OpEd: Foul-mouthed, sharp-elbowed, impudent prima donna.     Jeff Flake: Impeachment: we didn't convict Trump. We should have.     Tom Udall: Work across the aisle; build relationships and coalitions.     Eric Garcetti: First Jewish mayor of Los Angeles since 1878.     Eric Garcetti: Will always be an Angeleno; committed my life to service.     Tom Udall: Udall a troubled optimist; Senate is broken and not working.     Tom Udall: Udall comes from a family of American politicians.     Ken Salazar: Fifth-generation Coloradan; ranch in San Luis Valley.     Jeff Flake: Without principled fidelity to truth, democracy won't last.     Jeff Flake: Today's GOP: where there's no greater offense than honesty.     Jeff Flake: We did not become a great nation by espousing nonsense.     Alejandro Mayorkas: US is welcoming nation; finds strength in diversity.     Alejandro Mayorkas: Left Cuba with parents as a child to escape communism.     Alejandro Mayorkas: Views himself as a proud member of the Jewish community.     Merrick Garland: Recused himself from federal cases during consideration.     Pete Buttigieg: Transportation makes the American dream possible.     Susan Rice: Foreign economic & domestic imperatives deeply intertwined.     Deb Haaland: First Native American to head Interior Department.     Marcia Fudge: Always wanted to be a voice for people who have no voice.     Marcia Fudge: Eradicating poverty gives people sense of pride and dignity.     Cedric Richmond: Goal is connections regardless of political affiliation.     Amy Coney Barrett: Member of the conservative People of Praise faith community.     Caroline Kennedy: Profile in Courage Award to honor COVID frontline workers.     Merrick Garland: Praised by Brett Kavanaugh: "He's been a role model to me".     Sally Yates: AG should say no to president in order to obey the law.     Neil Gorsuch: Ok to display donated Ten Commandments in public park.     James Mattis: Dislikes nickname Mad Dog Mattis.     Jeff Sessions: Total fidelity to the laws and the Constitution.     Arlen Specter: Senate speaks to entire Supreme Court during hearings.     Charles Schumer: Alito responds, but doesn’t really answer questions.     Samuel Alito: Pledge of recusal does not last for 12 years.     Samuel Alito: Constitution doesn’t change but the factual situations do.     Samuel Alito: All the courts should be insulated from public opinion.     Charles Schumer: Nominees must prove they’re not extreme.     John Cornyn: Justices should respect law, not impose political agendas.     Samuel Alito: 1960s Princeton: “privileged people behaving irresponsibly”.     Samuel Alito: Good judges can change their minds during a case.     Samuel Alito: Attorneys want results; judges want only the rule of law.     Samuel Alito: Pledges to administer justice without respect to persons.     Gale Norton: Proud of being conservative and a conservationist.     Gale Norton: Promises to enforce nation’s environmental laws.     Gale Norton: Consult with affected people before making decisions.

Social Security     Brett Kavanaugh: Enthusiastic preference to privatize social security.     Samuel Alito: Disability benefits apply if job category dissapears.

Technology     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Don't blame car sound systems for illegal music copying.     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Wheelchair anti-discrimination laws do apply to Uber.     Eric Garcetti: Continued transit buildup & tougher earthquake standards.     Jennifer Granholm: Advocates for manufacturing, domestic R&D efforts.     Brett Kavanaugh: Allow sweeping surveillance of Americans' phone records.     Brett Kavanaugh: Net neutrality regulations violate the First Amendment.     Mike Pompeo: Re-establish collection of all metadata; make it searchable.     James Mattis: Cyber domain presents new challenge to maintain US advantage.     Arlen Specter: Supreme Court proceedings should be televised.     Samuel Alito: Voted to televise 3rd Circuit court.

War & Peace     Brett Kavanaugh: Congressional authority needed for major foreign conflicts.     James Mattis: Iran is single most enduring threat to stability and peace.     Mike Pompeo: I opposed Iran deal; I'll gather clear-eyed info about it.     James Mattis: ISIS has metastasized & remains a resilient movement.     James Mattis: Iran is the leading state sponsor of terror.     James Mattis: Supports the Iran nuclear agreement.     Rex Tillerson: Opposed US sanctions against Russia over Crimea annexation.     Rex Tillerson: Destroy the Islamic State; be wary of China's behavior.     Samuel Alito: President does not have a blank check in time of war.

Welfare & Poverty     Ketanji Brown Jackson: Continue pandemic-related eviction moratorium.     Eric Garcetti: Worked on adding homeless shelters & affordable housing.     Marcia Fudge: HUD/Agriculture can work together feeding hungry children.     Ben Carson: Housing integration is ok, but why must residents solve it?     Ben Carson: Ideal is every person in a home; but we don't have the funds.     Jeff Sessions: Basic tradition is opportunity to work hard & keep fruits.     Jeff Sessions: Eminent domain for private development is Court over-reach.     Samuel Alito: Eminent domain affects emotions, not just money.     Clarence Thomas: Public housing entitlements are good programs.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary of DHS Amy Coney Barrett Republican appointee to Supreme Court Arlen Specter Former Democratic incumbent (elected as Republican) Pennsylvania Ben Carson HUD Secretary Betsy DeVos Former Education Secretary Brett Kavanaugh Nominee for Supreme Court Justice Caroline Kennedy Democratic candidate (2008; declined 2018) New York Cedric Richmond Louisiana Public Liaison Charles Schumer Democratic Sr Senator New York Clarence Thomas Republican Appointee to Supreme Court Deb Haaland New Mexico DOI Secretary Dianne Feinstein Democratic Sr Senator California Donald Rumsfeld Cabinet-2008 Donald Trump Republican Presidential incumbent Elena Kagan Democratic Appointee to Supreme Court Eric Garcetti California Ambassador to India Gale Norton Cabinet-2008 Gina Raimondo Rhode Island Secretay of Commerce Herbert Kohl Democratic Sr Senator (Retiring) Wisconsin James Mattis Defense Secretary 2017-2018 Janet Yellen Treasury Secretary Jeff Flake Republican Challenger (retiring) Arizona Jeff Sessions Alabama Attorney General 2017-2018 Jennifer Granholm Michigan DOE Secretary Joe Biden Democratic V.P. Joe Donnelly Democratic Challenger Indiana John Ashcroft Cabinet-2005 John Cornyn Republican Sr Senator Texas John F. Kelly Former Secretary of Homeland Security-2017 John Roberts Republican Appointee to Supreme Court Jon Kyl Republican Jr Senator (Retiring) Arizona Ken Salazar Ambassador to Mexico Ketanji Brown Jackson Democratic Supreme Court nominee Linda McMahon Connecticut Former Small Business Administration Lindsey Graham South Carolina S.C. Senator; Republican Presidential candidate Lloyd Austin Secretary of Defense Marcia Fudge Ohio HUD Secretary Margaret Spellings Cabinet-2008 Marty Walsh Massachusetts Secretary of Labor Merrick Garland Attorney General Mick Mulvaney South Carolina Former Budget Director/Chief of Staff Mike DeWine Ohio Republican candidate for Governor Mike Pompeo Kansas Former Secretary of State Neil Gorsuch Republican Appointee to Supreme Court Patrick Leahy Democratic Sr Senator Vermont Pete Buttigieg Indiana DOT Secretary Rahm Emanuel Ambassador to Japan Rex Tillerson Secretary of State 2017-2018 Richard Durbin Democratic Sr Senator Illinois Russell Feingold Democrat Ruth Bader Ginsburg Former Democratic Appointee to Supreme Court Ryan Zinke Montana Secretary of Interior 2017-2019 Sally Yates Former Attorney General Sam Brownback Kansas Republican Governor Samuel Alito Republican Appointee to Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor Democratic Appointee to Supreme Court Susan Rice Maine Domestic Policy Ted Kennedy Democratic Senator (until 2009) Massachusetts Tom Barrett Democrat U.S. Rep Wisconsin-5 Tom Coburn Republican Jr Senator; previously Representative Oklahoma Tom Price Georgia Secretary of Health and Human Services-2017 Tom Udall Democratic Sr Senator (Retiring 2020) New Mexico Wilbur Ross Former Secretary of Commerce