U.S. Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno will officially take office Jan. 3, two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Returning from Washington fresh off freshman member orientation, Moreno said Thursday his earliest days will be busy with executive cabinet confirmation hearings. Moreno plans to push for “every single one” of Trump’s cabinet nominees, he said.
“He won the popular vote. He won all seven swing states by a decent margin. He’s got a mandate for the American public to actually serve,” he said during a media availability in Columbus. “He has the ability to choose the people that he thinks will serve him best.”
Moreno said he believes he will be joined by Vice President-elect JD Vance, Ohio’s now outgoing senator, for those first days in office.
“There’s a lot of work in the U.S. Senate between the 3rd and the 19th (of January),” he said. “I’m not suggesting what JD will do, and I’m never going to get ahead of what his decisions are, but my suspicion is that he’ll want to be there to make certain that these cabinet positions go through committee.”
When Vance officially resigns from his Senate seat could determine when Gov. Mike DeWine announces his successor. DeWine, who has said that is one of the “biggest decisions” he’ll make, is getting plenty of counsel on who to elevate to Vance’s current position.
Moreno said he wants to work alongside someone ready to back Trump’s agenda, but acknowledged that person is on a different path to the Senate than his own.
“It’s one vote. It’s not 2.8 million, like me. It’s one, and it’s Gov. DeWine. It’s his decision exclusively. I’m confident that he’s going to make a good choice,” Moreno said.
Inauguration Day is Jan. 20. The U.S. Senate can begin committee hearings on the cabinet nominees before then, according to CNN, but the votes come after.
Several of Trump’s picks have faced sexual misconduct allegations—most notably, former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who has already withdrawn from consideration for U.S. Attorney General.
In a chamber that runs on seniority, Ohio’s two Senate seats are turning over in relatively short order, with longtime Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown ousted by Moreno. Moreno wants to stick to areas he knows, like the auto industry and immigration issues, he said when asked.
