The vice presidency may have taken JD Vance out of the Senate, but his brief service there has turned out to be instrumental in the early weeks of the Trump administration.
Vance has proven to be essential in getting President Trump’s most controversial cabinet nominees cleared through committees to a full Senate confirmation vote. Multiple Republican senators who were on the fence about supporting some of the president’s picks have said it was Vance, their former Senate colleague, who helped them get them to yes on some of President Trump’s most controversial Cabinet nominees.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and a key swing vote, was uncommitted about voting for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department until he had “intense” conversations with the White House over the weekend.
“I want to thank VP JD specifically for his honest counsel,” Cassidy said in a post on X as he and fellow members of the Senate Finance Committee assembled for their vote Tuesday. “With the serious commitments I’ve received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes.”
Sen. Todd Young, a Republican from Indiana, also said he had extensive conversations with the vice president about confirming former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence.
“We identified — after looking at her hearing transcript, after a personal visit in the office, after a lot of answers to questions for the record — some gaps, and there was certain language I wanted her to embrace and her answers to reassure me that those national security gaps would be filled. And I worked with Vice President Vance, and he got me those the requested answers,” Young told reporters.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, another prolific swing vote, has also complimented Vance and said she has spoken with him about policy.
“I think all of us who have served with JD have had conversations with him,” she said. “I’ve talked to him, for example, about the difference between our relationships with Canada, which is very important in my state, versus our relationship with Mexico and China.”
Vance introduced commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick at his confirmation hearing last month. And when it came to Trump’s embattled nominee for defense secretary, Vance not only ginned up support for Pete Hegseth but also cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm him.
Vance is particularly close to Senate Majority Whip John Barasso, who is responsible for counting votes and is considered an integral part of the team. While he only served in the Senate for two years before becoming vice president, Vance built key relationships in the chamber, and Republicans members view him a trusted colleague. He has been working the phones and talking to senators about their questions and concerns.
But Vance is also not afraid to exert public pressure, too. He put Republican senators on notice last Wednesday after Kennedy and Gabbard testified before the committees that would vote on advancing their nominations.
“In their own way, both Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. represent parts of the new coalition in our party. To say they’re unwelcome in the cabinet is to insult those new voters,” Vance wrote in a post on X. “To reject their confirmation is to reject the idea that President Trump decides his cabinet.”
Sources close to Vance say he won’t have a traditional portfolio like other vice presidents, who are often tasked with taking on less desirable initiatives. Mr. Trump previously assigned former Vice President Mike Pence to lead the coronavirus task force in late February 2020 before the pandemic swept over the country.
Instead, Vance is expected to be a jack of all trades, rather than serving in any specific area. An adviser close to Vance stressed that he is going to be a “generalist” focusing on all areas of policy and carrying out Mr. Trump’s plans.
Most importantly, Vance will serve as the node between the White House and Capitol Hill, focused on making sure no one is slowing down the Trump agenda in Congress.
