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JANUARY 4, 2001

The confirmation hearings of Gale Norton, named by President-elect George W. Bush to head the Department of Interior, promise to be rocky, although Democrats say they don't expect to succeed at blocking her nomination.

Still, Democrats and their allies are mounting a campaign against the conservative Coloradan. The Sierra Club, a national enviromental organization, is planning to campaign heavily against her confirmation, saying she will open up federal lands to natural resource harvesting.

Campaigns are also mounting against John Ashcroft, Bush's pick for Attorney General. Jesse Jackson and other civil rights leaders plan to use Ashcroft's opposition to a confirmation of an African-American judge in their fight. Ashcroft's views against abortion are also a target.

Linda Chavez, Bush's pick to head the Department of Labor, also faces a challenge from labor and civil rights groups. Chavez, a Hispanic woman born in New Mexico, has spoken out against affirmative action, bilingual education, and raising the mininum wage.

Bush's lone Democrat appointee, Norman Mineta, named to the post of Secretary of Transportation, has been embraced by transit groups nationwide. Mineta is currently Secretary of Commerce and the Cabinet's only Asian-American.

Get the Story:
3 Cabinet Nominees Will Face Hill Fight (The Washington Post 1/4)
Chavez Likely Will Face Intense Senate Hearings (The Washington Post 1/4)
Mineta Brings Pro-Transit Views, Pragmatic Outlook (The Washington Post 1/4)

Related Stories:
Bush names Norton to Interior (Politics 12/29)
Who is Gale Norton? (Politics 12/29)