Leaving aside Senator Rand Paul’s (R, KY) obstructiveness, the Progressive-Democratic Party Senators are opposing, as a bloc, Mike Pompeo’s confirmation as Secretary of State. As The Wall Street Journal put it Wednesday,
Their new standard seems to be that any nominee who agrees with the elected President is disqualified.
And
What a message that would send to America’s enemies as President Trump prepares for his North Korea summit, decides on the fate of the Iran nuclear deal, and confronts a hostile Russia. Democrats say they don’t trust Mr Trump, but in denying him senior advisers they make it more likely he will govern by himself. Mark it down as one more example that hatred for Mr Trump has caused many of his opponents to abandon rational judgment.
However, in this sort of case, I think the WSJ‘s angst is overwrought and the Progressive-Democrats’ intransigence not so effective. There are serious requirements for having an actual, sitting Secretary of State. However, Trump can get his advice from whomever he chooses; he doesn’t need formally sitting Cabinet members. He also can get folks who represent him to other nations from anywhere he wants. Advice and such representatives are what kitchen cabinets—a Progressive-Democratic Party invention—are for.