In the first two weeks since President Trump took the oath of office, the U.S. Senate has moved to confirm his Cabinet as swiftly as possible. Despite Democrats’ obstruction, we have been able to confirm eight nominees within 10 days of President Trump’s inauguration. These individuals are on the job, and the Senate is hard at work to get more of President Trump’s team into place.

The first order of business was the president’s national security team. At a time of global instability, President Trump’s promise of restoring peace through strength is a needed change in direction from the last four years.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made it clear that every decision he makes will be rooted in advancing America’s interests. Under Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, our borders will be secure. The Pentagon is once again focused on warfighting, not woke distractions, under the leadership of Secretary Pete Hegseth. And Director John Ratcliffe is intent on returning the CIA to its core mission.

Energy is another top priority for the Trump administration. On his first day in office, President Trump took a number of actions to restore American energy dominance and put a stop to the anti-energy policies of his predecessor. America has the resources to be energy dominant, but we have to start saying “yes” to American energy.

President Trump has assembled a team committed to removing unnecessary barriers to American energy production. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum will restore a multiple-use approach to public lands management and leverage America’s resources for a safe and more prosperous future. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin shares the president’s commitment to easing regulations, and he brings a collaborative approach to an agency that has often lacked it in the last four years.

President Trump has brought a new direction to Washington. It’s needed. The Biden administration demonstrated weakness around the world, and its open-border policies led to years of crisis at the southern border and in many communities across the country. The Biden administration’s hostility toward conventional energy set our energy security on a dangerous path, and we were already beginning to see the warning signs of a future energy crisis.

President Trump and his team have a lot of work to do, and I look forward to working with them toward a more secure and prosperous America.