When Obama starts to name his cabinet, do those names have to be ratified by the Senate?

[Bandit]

If Obama named a Treasury Secretary today at his first news conference would that person have to be approved by the Senate and if so which Senate would that be, the current Senate or the one sworn in January 2009?

[BlueManDude]

1. Yes - the new Senate.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Yes.

[napi21]

3. Most of them do. They also have to go through a full FBI background

check. Somebody was talking about that on a panel on c-span last night. There are over 1,000 positions in a new admin. that must undergo that Full FBI check, and it takes a LONG TIME!

[Not the Only One]

4. no Senate votes until 1/21.

Nothing is official until inauguration, so no votes on Cabinet.

[hobbit709]

5. He can decide who he wants in his Cabinet

But nothing official happens until after Jan. 20. he is the President-elect at this point and has no actual legal power to do anything. The Senate has to ratify his choices, but they can't do anything until after he is sworn in.

[smiley_glad_hands]

6. He'll get pretty much whatever he wants, more so than bush. eom

[secondwind]

7. I think a newly-elected President gets a lot of leeway.....I don't think his picks

have to be questioned.