WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - The Lazy Susan: Confirmations and Strategy

Episode Date: February 14, 2025

Lewis and Paden recap cabinet confirmations and stories for the week of February 10, 2025.

You're listening to Radio Free Hillsdale, 101.7 FM. And this is The Lazy Susan. I'm Lewis Thune. And I'm Peyton Hughes. For the past century, the executive cabinet has handled the bulk of day-to-day governance in the United States. Yet it's among the least known and least-covered portions of the federal government. On the Lazy Susan, we highlight happenings in the cabinet on a weekly basis. What's happening in the cabinet, Lewis?

President Trump's cabinet is nearing completion, with the February 13th confirmation of nominee for Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In addition, Secretary of Commerce nominee Howard Lutnik passed his Senate cloture vote. The high-profile cabinet-level position of Director of National Intelligence is also in the news as former DNC Vice Chair Tulsi Gabbard was officially confirmed for the position on the 12th. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is working tirelessly already, and social media has been paying attention. On Monday, Hegseth signed a memorandum changing the name of

Fort Liberty back to its original title, Fort Bragg. This reversed the 2023 name change due to public backlash about the fort bearing the name of Confederate General Braxton Bragg. But the signature isn't all. The following morning, Hegg Seth's X page featured pictures and video of the new defense secretary working out alongside the 10th Army Special Forces Group. It held the tagline, Strength equals Readiness. Followed by the caption, No bureaucracy, just sharp minds, strong bodies, and a mission-first mindset. Hegsaith is attempting to bring strength, back to America's armed forces. What else is going on, Lewis? Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also out of D.C. this week, but he's in Munich for a security conference.

While the Russia-Ukraine conflict is reportedly of chief concern, there's also reports indicating that Rubio will meet with Japanese and South Korean ministers. This would mean that the Rubio-led state department is sticking by a trilateral approach that actually began in the Biden State Department, signaling that the State Department aims to be a bit more cautious in the region than they've let on. Also of note as we approach a new week, nominee for FBI director Cash Patel is facing perjury allegations ahead of his confirmation vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Committee hearings for Secretary of the Department of Labor nominee, Lori Chavez-Duramer, will begin on the 19th. And previously mentioned Secretary of Commerce nominee Howard Lutnik will see his confirmation vote within the next week. And until then, we'll sign off. Thanks for joining us for this week's edition of The Lazy Susan. News from the Capitol.

I'm Louis Thin. And I'm Peyton Hughes. We'll see you next time.