Senate Holds Biden Cabinet Confirmation Hearings

The day before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, five of his cabinet nominees will answer questions from Senate panels handling their confirmations. The busy committee calendar is ramping up at the same time as an impeachment trial is expected to start, posing a split screen challenge for the Senate, which is still reeling from an attack less than two weeks ago.

While more attention will be paid to Wednesday's inauguration of Joe Biden, the real drama this week may come when Senate committees hold confirmation hearings for several of the president-elect's Cabinet picks.

Confirmation hearings are often marked by partisan differences, and this week is likely to be no different. In November, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who sits on the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committees, expressed broad opposition to Biden's selections.

Five of President-elect Joe Biden's national security Cabinet nominees will face Senate panels on Tuesday in the first step of the confirmation process.

The day before Biden takes office, his nominees for secretary of state, secretary of the treasury, director of national intelligence, defense secretary and secretary of Homeland Security will appear before Senate committees to be considered for their respective roles.