With Tuesday's Senate committee approval of Ben Carson for secretary of Housing and Urban Development, President Trump's Cabinet picks are slowly transitioning out of "nominee" status.
While the confirmation hearing process today is considered less grueling than in recent years, some still question who of Trump's picks might face enough "no" votes to be rejected from their respective appointments.
Earlier this month, Trump's pick for senior director of strategic communications at the National Security .
Council Monica Crowley came under fire when it was revealed she had plagiarized over 50 parts of her New York Times bestselling book. The former FOX News contributor then withdrew her name from the appointment nomination, joining a historic list of Cabinet nominees who have removed themselves from the approval process.
Cabinet appointment withdrawals months into a commander in chief's presidency are not uncommon, as Bush 43, Clinton and Obama each had multiple Cabinet appointees withdraw themselves from the process. However, the current GOP-led Congress holds 52 seats in the senate which gives them the manpower to vote through any nomination -- as long as the number of "no" votes from within the Republican party is limited to less than three.
Even with Sen. John Tower, the only Cabinet nominee to be formally rejected since 1980 over allegations of alcohol abuse and womanizing, his confirmation came within three votes.
While Scott Pruitt and Betsy DeVos -- Trump's respective picks to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Education -- are widely viewed as those most likely to be blocked by congressional committees -- Trump's Cabinet nominees are generally presumed to be voted in and assume their positions in the new administration.
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