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Confirmation process for Scott Bessent for secretary of the Treasury

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President-elect Donald Trump (R) announced hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as his nominee for secretary of the Treasury on November 22, 2024.

The Senate Finance Committee held a confirmation hearing for Bessent on January 16, 2025.[1] The Senate confirmed Bessent on January 27, 2026, in a 68-29 vote.Click here to read more about the confirmation process.

Trump said of Bessent's nomination, "Scott has long been a strong advocate of the America First Agenda. On the eve of our Great Country's 250th Anniversary, he will help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States, as we fortify our position as the World's leading Economy, Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurialism, Destination for Capital, while always, and without question, maintaining the U.S. Dollar as the Reserve Currency of the World."[2]

This page includes the following information about the confirmation process:

Confirmation process

See also: Confirmation process for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees, 2025

Confirmation vote roll call

See also: How senators voted on Trump Cabinet nominees, 2025

The Senate confirmed Bessent in a 68-29 vote on January 27, 2025.[3]

Summary of Senate vote on Scott Bessent's nomination for secretary of the Treasury (January 27, 2025)
Party Votes for Votes against Not voting
Democratic Party Democrats 15 28 2
Republican Party Republicans 52 0 1
Grey.png Independents 1 1 0
Totals 68 29 3


Fifteen Democrats and one independent who caucuses with Democrats voted in favor of his nomination:

(Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)



Senate confirmation hearing

The Senate Finance Committee held a confirmation hearing for Bessent on January 16, 2025.[4]

Scott Bessent's Senate confirmation hearing, January 16, 2025

Financial disclosures

The Office of Government Ethics released Bessent's financial disclosures in January 2025. Click here to review them.

About the nominee

Bessent received a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1984. After graduating, Bessent worked at Brown Brothers Harriman and Kynikos Associates.[5] In 1991, Bessent began working at Soros Fund Management (SFM), where he was the firm's head of European allocation before he resigned in 2000. Bessent then founded a hedge fund that later closed, then worked as a senior investment advisor at Protégé Partners and as an adjunct economic history professor at Yale.[6]

Bessent returned to SFM in 2011 and served as the firm's chief investment officer until 2015. In 2015, Bessent founded the hedge fund Key Square Management.[7]


About the confirmation process

See also: Appointment confirmation process

The confirmation process includes several rounds of investigation and review, beginning with the submission of a personal financial disclosure report and a background check. The nominee is then evaluated in a committee hearing, which allows for a close examination of the nominee and his or her views on public policy. Supporters and opponents of the nominee may also testify.[8]

Once committee hearings are closed, most committees have a set amount of time before a vote is taken on whether the nominee is reported to the Senate favorably, unfavorably, or without recommendation. The nomination will then go to the Senate floor for consideration. Once the nomination is considered by the Senate, unlimited debate is allowed until a majority of the Senate votes to invoke cloture and close debate. Following a vote of cloture, the Senate conducts a simple majority vote on whether to confirm, reject, or take no action on the nomination.[9]

About the Cabinet

A presidential Cabinet is a group of senior federal officials who advise the president on the issues and activities of their respective agencies. The Cabinet tradition is rooted in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which states that the president "may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices."[10]

While not explicitly identified in the Constitution, the Cabinet secretaries are the 15 agency heads who are in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also part of the Cabinet. These positions, in order of presidential succession, are:

The number of officials in a Cabinet can vary across presidential administrations. The following additional positions are part of Trump's second term presidential Cabinet:

All of the positions above, except for Vice President and White House Chief of Staff, require Senate confirmation.

Other Trump Cabinet nominees

See also: Donald Trump's Cabinet, 2025 and Confirmation process for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees, 2025

The following table provides an overview of the status, confirmation hearings, and committee and Senate votes for each of Trump's Cabinet and Cabinet-rank nominees in his second term.

Overview of confirmation process for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees in his second term
Nominee Position Announced Senate committee Confirmation hearing Committee vote Senate vote Status
Marco Rubio Secretary of State November 13, 2024 Foreign Relations January 15, 2025 Favorable (22-0) 99-0 Confirmed on January 20, 2025
Scott Bessent Secretary of the Treasury November 22, 2024 Finance January 16, 2025 Favorable (16-11) 68-29 Confirmed on January 27, 2025
Pete Hegseth Secretary of Defense November 12, 2024 Armed Services January 14, 2025 Favorable (14-13) 51-50 Confirmed on January 24, 2025
Matt Gaetz Attorney General November 13, 2024 Judiciary N/A N/A N/A Withdrawn on November 21, 2024
Pam Bondi Attorney General November 21, 2024 Judiciary January 15-16, 2025 Favorable (12-10) 54-46 Confirmed on February 4, 2025
Doug Burgum Secretary of the Interior November 14, 2024 Energy and Natural Resources January 16, 2025 Favorable (18-2) 80-17 Confirmed on January 30, 2025
Brooke Rollins Secretary of Agriculture November 23, 2024 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry January 23, 2025 Favorable (23-0) 72-28 Confirmed on February 13, 2025
Howard Lutnick Secretary of Commerce November 19, 2024 Commerce, Science, and Transportation January 29, 2025 Favorable (16-12) 51-45 Confirmed on February 18, 2025
Lori Chavez-DeRemer Secretary of Labor November 22, 2024 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions February 19, 2025 Favorable (13-9) 67-32 Confirmed on March 10, 2025
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Secretary of Health and Human Services November 14, 2024 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
/ Finance		 January 30, 2025 / January 29, 2025 N/A / Favorable (14-13) 52-48 Confirmed on February 13, 2025
Scott Turner Secretary of Housing and Urban Development November 22, 2024 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs January 16, 2025 Favorable (13-11) 55-44 Confirmed on February 5, 2025
Sean Duffy Secretary of Transportation November 18, 2024 Commerce, Science, and Transportation January 15, 2025 Favorable (28-0) 77-22 Confirmed on January 28, 2025
Chris Wright Secretary of Energy November 16, 2024 Energy and Natural Resources January 15, 2025 Favorable (15-5) 59-38 Confirmed on February 3, 2025
Linda McMahon Secretary of Education November 19, 2024 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions February 13, 2025 Favorable (12-11) 51-45 Confirmed on March 3, 2025
Doug Collins Secretary of Veterans Affairs November 14, 2024 Veterans' Affairs January 21, 2025 Favorable (18-1) 77-23 Confirmed on February 4, 2025
Kristi Noem Secretary of Homeland Security November 12, 2024 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs January 17, 2025 Favorable (13-2) 59-34 Confirmed on January 25, 2025
Jamieson Greer U.S. Trade Representative November 26, 2024 Finance February 6, 2025 Favorable (15-12) 56-43 Confirmed on February 26, 2025
Tulsi Gabbard Director of National Intelligence November 13, 2024 Intelligence (Select) January 30, 2025 Favorable (9-8) 52-48 Confirmed on February 12, 2025
Elise Stefanik U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations November 11, 2024 Foreign Relations January 21, 2025 Favorable (Voice Vote) N/A Withdrawn on March 27, 2025
Michael Waltz U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations May 1, 2025 Foreign Relations July 15, 2025 Favorable (12-10) TBD Passed committee
Russell Vought Director of the Office of Management and Budget November 22, 2024 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget January 15, 2025 / January 22, 2025 Favorable (8-7) / Favorable (11-0) 53-47 Confirmed on February 6, 2025
Lee Zeldin Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency November 11, 2024 Environment and Public Works January 16, 2025 Favorable (11-8) 56-42 Confirmed on January 29, 2025
Kelly Loeffler Administrator of the Small Business Administration December 4, 2024 Small Business and Entrepreneurship January 29, 2025 Favorable (12-7) 52-46 Confirmed on February 19, 2025
John Ratcliffe Director of the Central Intelligence Agency November 12, 2024 Intelligence (Select) January 15, 2025 Favorable (14-3) 74-25 Confirmed on January 23, 2025


Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations

Comparison to Biden administration

See also: Joe Biden's Cabinet

The following chart displays how many days it took for the Cabinet secretaries of President Joe Biden (D) to be confirmed after the inauguration in 2021. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.

Comparison to Trump's first term

See also: Donald Trump presidential Cabinet, 2017-2021

The following chart displays how many days it took for President Donald Trump's (R) first term Cabinet secretaries to be confirmed after the inauguration in 2017. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.

Comparison to Obama administration

The following chart displays how many days it took for the Cabinet secretaries of President Barack Obama (D) to be confirmed after the inauguration in 2009. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.


List of secretaries of the Treasury, 1789-2025

See also: U.S. Department of the Treasury
Recent Secretaries of the Treasury
Secretary of the Treasury Years in office Nominated by Confirmation vote
Paul O'Neill 2001-2002 George W. Bush Voice vote
John W. Snow 2003-2006 George W. Bush Unanimous consent
Henry Paulson 2006-2009 George W. Bush Voice vote
Timothy Geithner 2009-2013 Barack Obama 60-34
Jack Lew 2013-2017 Barack Obama 71-26
Steven Mnuchin 2017-2021 Donald Trump 53-47
Janet Yellen 2021-2025 Joe Biden 84-15
David Lebryk 2025-present Donald Trump N/A


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Senate Finance Committee, "Hearing to Consider the Anticipated Nomination of Scott Bessent, of South Carolina, to be Secretary of the Treasury," January 10, 2025
  2. ↑ Truth Social, "Donald Trump on November 22, 2024," accessed November 22, 2024
  3. ↑ Senate.gov, "Roll Call Vote 119th Congress - 1st Session," accessed January 28, 2025
  4. ↑ Senate Finance Committee, "Hearing to Consider the Anticipated Nomination of Scott Bessent, of South Carolina, to be Secretary of the Treasury," January 10, 2025
  5. ↑ Yale Alumni Magazine, "Life and money management," accessed December 2, 2024
  6. ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Soros Puts New Man at Helm," September 20, 2011
  7. ↑ Forbes, "What To Know About Scott Bessent: Trump’s Pro-Tariff Treasury Pick," November 22, 2024
  8. ↑ CRS Report for Congress, "Senate Confirmation Process: An Overview," accessed July 24, 2013
  9. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 4, 2019
  10. ↑ Constitution Center, "Presidential Advisors," accessed November 18, 2020
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