By Gram Slattery

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Some of Donald Trump's picks for his

cabinet are expected to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate this

week after the chamber held more than a dozen confirmation

hearings last week.

More hearings for other nominees are scheduled for this

week. Here are Trump's choices for some of the key posts

including defense, intelligence, health, diplomacy, trade,

justice, immigration and economic policymaking.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY

Hegseth, 44, is a military veteran who has expressed disdain

for the "woke" policies of Pentagon leaders, including its top

military officer.

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted along party lines,

14-13, to advance Hegseth's nomination for a full Senate vote on

Monday. The Senate vote is expected late this week.

As secretary of defense, Hegseth could make good on Trump's

campaign promise to rid the U.S. military of generals whom he

accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the

ranks that conservatives have railed against.

It could also set up a collision course between Hegseth and

the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General

C.Q. Brown, whom Hegseth accused of "pursuing the radical

positions of left-wing politicians."

Hegseth, a former Fox News commentator, denied in his

confirmation hearing allegations made in a police report that he

sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 at a conference in

California. No charges were filed, and he entered into a private

settlement with the alleged victim, but the allegations are

complicating his confirmation prospects.

He has also in the past opposed women in combat roles but

walked back that stance during the hearing on Tuesday.

PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL

Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Bondi on the

day his previous choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration

in the face of opposition from Senate Republicans over

allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug abuse.

Bondi, 59, was the top law enforcement officer of the

country's third most populous state from 2011 to 2019. She

served on Trump's Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his

first administration.

Trump's inner circle has described the attorney general as

the most important member of the administration after Trump

himself, key to his plans to carry out mass deportations, pardon

Jan. 6, 2021 rioters, and seek retribution against those who

prosecuted him over the past four years.

Bondi has been a defender of Trump's false claims that he

lost the 2020 election due to widespread voter fraud.

During her confirmation hearing, Bondi vowed not to use the

Justice Department to target people based on their politics, but

dodged direct questions about investigating people scorned by

Trump.

"There will never be an enemies list within the Department

of Justice," Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE

If confirmed, Rubio, a U.S. senator, would be the first

Latino to serve as the nation's top diplomat.

Rubio, 53, was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump's

short list for the post. The Florida-born senator has advocated

in the past for a muscular foreign policy with respect to U.S.

geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.

Over the last several years, he has softened some of his

stances to align more closely with Trump's views. Trump has

accused past presidents of leading the U.S. into costly and

futile wars and has pushed for a less interventionist foreign

policy.

Rubio warned during his confirmation hearing that the U.S.

must change course to avoid becoming more reliant on China.

A Senate committee backed Rubio for the role by a unanimous

22-0 vote on Monday, sending his nomination to the full Senate

for confirmation.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, CIA DIRECTOR

Ratcliffe, who was director of national intelligence at the

end of Trump's first term, would helm the Central Intelligence

Agency in his second administration.

A former congressman and prosecutor, Ratcliffe, 59, is seen

as a Trump loyalist who could likely win Senate confirmation.

Still, during his time as director of national intelligence,

Ratcliffe often contradicted the assessments of career civil

servants, drawing criticism from Democrats who said he

politicized the role to curry favor with Trump.

During his confirmation hearing, Ratcliffe vowed not to fire

or force out employees for their political views or their

opinions about Trump, who frequently has attacked the agency and

its assessments.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted 14-3 to

confirm Ratcliffe, a congressional aide said, sending his

nomination to the full Senate.

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY

Duffy, a former U.S. congressman from Wisconsin and Fox News

host, would oversee aviation, automotive, rail, transit and

other transportation policies at the department with about a

$110-billion budget, as well as significant funding that remains

under the Biden administration's 2021 $1-trillion infrastructure

law.

Trump has vowed to reverse the Biden administration's

vehicle emissions rules, which have spurred automakers to build

more electric vehicles.

Duffy, 53, first became known as a cast member on MTV's "The

Real World" reality show in the late 1990s. In his confirmation

hearing, Duffy said he would allow a government probe into

Tesla's advanced driver assistance system to continue.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a close adviser to Trump.

CHRIS WRIGHT, ENERGY SECRETARY

Wright, a top Trump donor, is the founder and CEO of Liberty

Energy, an oilfield services firm based in Denver.

The 59-year-old is a promoter of fossil fuels and has been

skeptical that extreme weather events are tied to climate

change.

As Trump's energy secretary, he would, among other things,

oversee the nation's nuclear stockpile. Wright also would serve

on the new National Energy Council.

In his confirmation hearing, Wright said his first priority

is expanding domestic energy production, including liquefied

natural gas and nuclear power.

RUSS VOUGHT, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET DIRECTOR

Vought, a key architect of Project 2025, a conservative plan

to overhaul the government, will return as director of an agency

that helps determine the president's policy priorities and how

to pay for them.

Vought, 48, who was OMB chief during Trump's 2017-2021 term,

will play a major role in setting budget priorities and

implementing Trump's campaign promise to roll back government

regulations.

In his confirmation hearing, Vought defended Trump's goal of

cutting spending by refusing to spend money that Congress has

already authorized.

DOUG BURGUM, INTERIOR SECRETARY AND 'ENERGY CZAR'

Burgum, 68, a wealthy former software company executive, has

portrayed himself as a traditional, business-minded

conservative. He ran against Trump for the Republican

presidential nomination before quitting and becoming a

supporter.

The Interior Department manages public lands and minerals,

national parks and wildlife refuges. The department also carries

out the U.S. government's trust responsibility to Native

Americans.

As chair of a new National Energy Council, Burgum is

expected to coordinate with several agencies to boost oil and

gas output, particularly with regard to drilling on

government-owned land.

Burgum told senators he will vigorously pursue Trump's goal

of maximizing energy production from U.S. public lands and

waters, calling it key to national security.

LEE ZELDIN, EPA ADMINISTRATOR

Zeldin, a former congressman from New York state and a

staunch Trump ally, would take over as administrator of the

Environmental Protection Agency with a mandate to slash

environmental regulations.

Zeldin, 44, served in Congress from 2015 to 2023. In 2022,

he lost the New York governor's race to Democratic incumbent

Kathy Hochul.

Trump has promised to overhaul U.S. energy policy, with the

aim of maximizing the country's already record-high oil and gas

production by rolling back regulations and speeding up

permitting.

Zeldin said during his confirmation hearing he believes

climate change is real and a threat.

SCOTT TURNER, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY

Turner, 52, a former Texas state legislator and National

Football League player, would take over the Department of

Housing and Urban Development if confirmed.

He was the first executive director of the White House

Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump's first

term, a role in which he helped the country's distressed

communities, Trump said in a statement.

Turner told senators the U.S. has a homelessness crisis.

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY

As Trump's Treasury secretary, Bessent would hold vast

influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs.

A longtime hedge fund investor who taught at Yale University

for several years, Bessent, 62, has a warm relationship with the

president.

While Bessent has long favored free-market policies popular

in the pre-Trump Republican Party, he has also spoken highly of

Trump's use of tariffs as a negotiating tool. He has praised the

president'a economic philosophy, which rests on a skepticism of

both regulation and international trade.

At his confirmation hearing, Bessent said the dollar should

remain the world's reserve currency, the Federal Reserve should

stay independent and that he is ready to impose tougher

sanctions on Russia's oil sector.

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY

As homeland security secretary, Noem would oversee a

sprawling federal agency of 260,000 employees that handles

everything from border protection to cybersecurity to

transportation safety and disaster response.

The current governor of South Dakota, Noem, 53, rose to

national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask

mandate during the pandemic.

Noem portrayed illegal immigration as an "invasion" and the

U.S.-Mexico border a "war zone" during her confirmation hearing,

and she pledged to back Trump's hard line on immigration.

ELISE STEFANIK, AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS

Stefanik, a U.S. representative from New York state and

staunch Trump supporter, would serve as his ambassador to the

United Nations and function as the United States' voice on that

body.

Stefanik, 40, the former House of Representatives'

Republican conference chair, took a leadership position in the

House in 2021 when she was elected to replace

then-Representative Liz Cheney, who was ousted for criticizing

Trump's false claims of election fraud.

Stefanik will arrive at the U.N. after bold promises by

Trump to end the Russia-Ukraine war and as Israel and Hamas

enter a fragile ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Her confirmation hearing is set for Tuesday.

BROOKE ROLLINS, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY

As agriculture secretary, Rollins, the 52-year-old president

of the America First Policy Institute, would be in charge of a

100,000-person agency whose remit includes farm and nutrition

programs, forestry, and agricultural trade.

The institute is a right-leaning think tank whose personnel

have worked closely with Trump's campaign to help shape policy

for his incoming administration. She was the acting director of

the Domestic Policy Council during Trump's first term. Her

confirmation hearing is set for Thursday.

KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR

Patel, who during Trump's first term advised both the

director of national intelligence and the defense secretary, has

been a fierce critic of the FBI. He has previously called for it

to be stripped of its intelligence-gathering role and for the

firing of any employee who refuses to support Trump's agenda.

A former Republican House staffer, Patel, 44, frequently

appeared on the campaign trail to rally support for Trump during

his presidential bid.

The FBI's current director, Christopher Wray, a Republican

first appointed by Trump, announced in December that he will

resign his post this month. Patel's confirmation hearing has yet

to be scheduled.

TULSI GABBARD, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and an officer

in the U.S. Army Reserve, was appointed by Trump to serve as

director of national intelligence, where she would oversee 18

agencies tasked with intelligence gathering.

Gabbard, 43, has been an outspoken critic of the Biden

administration's foreign policy, particularly with regard to its

support of Ukraine in the war with Russia.

Her confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled.

HOWARD LUTNICK, COMMERCE SECRETARY

The co-chair of Trump's transition effort and the longtime

chief executive of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald,

Lutnick has been picked to head the Commerce Department, the

agency that has become the U.S. weapon of choice against China's

tech sector.

A bombastic New Yorker like Trump, Lutnick, 63, has

uniformly praised Trump's economic policies, including his use

of tariffs.

Trump said Lutnick also would be given "additional direct

responsibility" for the Office of U.S. Trade Representative. His

confirmation hearing has not been scheduled.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY

Kennedy, 70, an environmental activist who has spread

misinformation about the dangers of vaccines, is now poised to

lead the top U.S. health agency.

A former independent presidential candidate, he has

suggested he would gut the 18,000-employee Food and Drug

Administration, which ensures the safety of food, drugs and

medical devices, and replace hundreds of employees at the

National Institutes of Health.

Kennedy has decried the U.S. food industry for adding

ingredients that he says have made Americans less healthy.

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the

FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the

National Institutes of Health and the massive Medicare and

Medicaid programs, which provide health coverage for the poor,

those aged 65 and older, and the disabled.

Trump said in an interview with Time in December that he

will be talking to Kennedy about the future of childhood

vaccination programs, citing high autism rates in children.

Kennedy has asserted a debunked link between vaccines and

autism.

A former family babysitter has alleged that Kennedy groped

her 25 years ago. No charges were filed, and Kennedy has said he

does not recall the incident. His confirmation hearing has yet

to be scheduled.

LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER, LABOR SECRETARY

Trump's pick of Chavez-DeRemer, a former U.S. congresswoman

from Oregon, could be one of the rare selections who draws

bipartisan support.

Chavez-DeRemer, 56, is considered one of the most

union-friendly Republicans in Congress, and her selection was

viewed as a way for Trump to reward union members who voted for

him.

The pick was praised by Teamsters President Sean O'Brien,

while some conservatives expressed dismay. Her confirmation

hearing has yet to be scheduled.

LINDA MCMAHON, EDUCATION SECRETARY

McMahon is a former executive CEO of World Wrestling

Entertainment who served as the chief of the Small Business

Administration during Trump's first term.

As education secretary, she would oversee an agency that Trump

has pledged to eliminate.

It may be more likely, however, that McMahon, 76, works to

further conservative education policy goals, including doing

away with diversity programs in public schools and allowing tax

dollars to be used for private school tuition.

Her confirmation hearing is yet to be scheduled.

MARTIN MAKARY, HEAD OF THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

Trump nominated Makary to lead the FDA, the world's most

influential drug regulator with a more than $7-billion budget.

Makary, a surgeon and public policy researcher at Johns

Hopkins University, raised concerns about a number of public

health issues during the pandemic, touting protection from

natural immunity while opposing vaccine mandates for the general

public. His Senate hearing is yet to be scheduled.

DAVE WELDON, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND

PREVENTION

Weldon, a 71-year-old former congressman and medical doctor,

is Trump's choice for director of the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, a sweeping agency with a $17.3-billion

budget charged with protecting the nation's health. His

confirmation hearing has not been scheduled.

JANETTE NESHEIWAT, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL

Nesheiwat, a director of a New York chain of urgent care

clinics and Fox News contributor, would serve as U.S. surgeon

general.

Nesheiwat treated patients during the pandemic, tended to

victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornado, and has

worked for the Samaritan's Purse disaster relief organization

providing care in Morocco, Haiti and Poland, Trump said. Her

confirmation hearing has not been scheduled.

TODD BLANCHE, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL

Blanche, 50, a former New York federal prosecutor who

represented Trump in several of his recent legal cases, would

serve as deputy attorney general if confirmed, the No. 2 job at

the Justice Department which carries out many of the day-to-day

managerial duties at the agency. His confirmation hearing has

not been scheduled.

JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

As U.S. trade representative, Greer would have a key role

in executing Trump's sweeping tariff agenda that promises to

upend global trade.

Greer, a 44-year-old trade lawyer, served as chief of staff

to Trump's former U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer,

the architect of Trump's original tariffs on some $370 billion

worth of Chinese imports during Trump's first White House term.

His confirmation hearing has not been scheduled.

MIKE WALTZ, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

Waltz, a Republican U.S. representative and a retired Army

Green Beret, has been a leading critic of China.

A Trump loyalist who also served in the National Guard as a

colonel, Waltz, 50, has criticized Chinese military activity in

the Asia-Pacific and voiced the need for the U.S. to be ready

for a potential conflict in the region.

The national security adviser is an influential role that

does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz will be responsible

for briefing Trump on key national security issues and

coordinating with different agencies.

ELON MUSK AND VIVEK RAMASWAMY, HEADS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF

GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY

Outspoken tech billionaire Musk and former Republican

presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have been charged with

leading a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, a

reward for their staunch support during the campaign.

Trump said Musk, 53, and Ramaswamy, 39, will offer proposals

to reduce government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut

waste and restructure federal agencies, although the panel will

hold no actual authority under federal law. Instead, the panel

will work with the White House and the Office of Management and

Budget, Trump has said. The panel is not a government

department, and Musk and Ramaswamy will not face Senate

hearings.

TOM HOMAN, 'BORDER CZAR'

Homan has been tasked with one of Trump's biggest campaign

priorities: securing the nation's borders. Trump made cracking

down on migrants in the country illegally a central element of

his campaign, promising mass deportations.

As "border czar," Homan, 62, has said he would prioritize

deporting immigrants illegally in the U.S. who posed safety and

security threats as well as those working at job sites.

Homan served as the acting director of Immigration and

Customs Enforcement during Trump's first administration. He does

not need Senate confirmation.

SUSIE WILES, CHIEF OF STAFF

Wiles, one of Trump's two campaign managers, will be his

White House chief of staff, likely making her one of the most

powerful women in government.

The 67-year-old longtime Florida Republican political

operative is credited with running an efficient campaign that

helped Trump make inroads with new voters. Supporters hope she

will instill a sense of order and discipline that was often

lacking during Trump's first four-year term, when he cycled

through a number of chiefs of staff. The chief of staff does not

need Senate confirmation.

STACY DIXON, ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Dixon, 54, is set to become acting director at the

Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Dixon, who was appointed to her current post of

principal deputy director of national intelligence by President

Joe Biden and has served in that role since August 2021, will

become the top-ranking official at a time when Trump has

promised to make public classified documents related to the

assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F.

Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.