Confirmation hearings for top Trump diplomatic picks set for Jan 15 and 16

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold its confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees to be Secretary of State and US ambassador to the United Nations next week, a committee spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The hearing for Republican US Senator Marco Rubio, a senior member of the foreign relations panel, to be Secretary of State will take place on Jan. 15. The hearing for Republican US Representative Elise Stefanik to be ambassador to the United Nations will take place on Jan. 16.

Both are expected to win confirmation in the Republican-majority Senate.