While the Senate Fights, We Ask: What Can Trump's Appointees Actually Do?

What power do DeVos, Sessions, Tillerson and others have?

With a single vote in the Senate Wednesday evening, Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions prepared to take the helm of the Department of Justice -- but not without considerable conflict. Democrats fought hard against Sessions’ confirmation, while Republicans pushed back, even using the unusual tactic of silencing a colleague, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), from joining the floor debate. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), angered by Democrats’ efforts to slow the confirmation process, took to twitter, calling their tactics, "extreme...obstruction," and saying progress was the slowest of any new president “since George Washington.” The Sessions fight followed the extremely controversial confirmation of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Thanks to extreme Democratic obstruction, @POTUS' Cabinet confirmations are the slowest since George Washington. https://t.co/NwhlJwZEXR

— Leader McConnell (@SenateMajLdr) February 7, 2017

All of this begs the question: when the dust settles in the Senate and Trump’s nominees become confirmed Cabinet Secretaries, what powers do they wield in the departments they lead? We sicced Countable’s crack video team on the topic.