Nashville Standard

United States Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee recently appeared on Fox Business's "Mornings With Maria" to discuss various issues related to President Donald Trump's cabinet nominations and legislative agenda. As a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees, Hagerty spoke about the procedural delays affecting Trump's cabinet confirmations.

He remarked, “What we’ve seen is the minority is using every procedural trick in the book. They tried to slow us down dramatically.” He compared this delay with past administrations, noting that during Barack Obama's first term, twelve cabinet members were confirmed within fifteen days. According to Hagerty, Democrats have resisted efforts for a more standard confirmation process but stated that Republicans are determined to push through nominations.

Hagerty expressed strong support for nominee Pam Bondi, emphasizing her role in addressing national security concerns: “Pam Bondi is a top priority nominee for us. She will get confirmed; there’s no question about that.”

Regarding legislative processes, Hagerty discussed the reconciliation process as a means to quickly address urgent matters like those in Florida. He emphasized public sentiment from recent elections: “Seventy-five percent of Americans said we were on the wrong track as a nation."

Hagerty also addressed Trump’s focus on restoring American sovereignty and military funding. He mentioned discussions with Elon Musk about integrating new technologies into military operations: “The focus is going to be back on lethality and effectiveness."

On relations with China, Hagerty highlighted concerns over Chinese companies accessing U.S. capital markets under "golden share" arrangements controlled by the Chinese government. He stated, “It’s amazing that these companies are allowed to list here.”

Finally, Hagerty touched upon dealing with the debt ceiling swiftly: “President Trump wants the debt ceiling dealt with as quickly as possible.”