Latest Trump Cabinet Picks Update: Will Senate Approve Tillerson, Sessions, Perry And Other Cabinet Members?

As President-elect Donald Trump steadily announces a series of controversial cabinet appointees, Democrats on Capitol Hill are mustering what little power they have in the Senate to block, or at least delay, their confirmations.

Trump's most recent appointees include Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, a reclusive businessman without public-office experience and with strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as secretary of state. There's also former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has been tapped to lead the Energy Department, a multibillion-dollar federal agency he once vowed to eliminate. Sen. Jeff Sessions, a hard-liner on immigration and trade, was chosen by Trump to become the next attorney general.

Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Trump's choice for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, has been described as a "disturbingly unqualified choice" by Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Nearly each of Trump's cabinet choices have been followed by similar opposition from Democrats, who point to potential appointees' controversial statements on Muslims, immigrants and minorities, as well as their lack of experience spearheading government organizations or serving in public office, as reasons they will refuse to vote for them after President-elect Trump assumes power Jan. 20.

Unfortunately for Democrats, they lack the total number of Senate votes to block any appointee Trump nominates to his cabinet, with Republicans owning a 52-48 edge. Moreover, Democrat-led legislation in 2013 prevented filibusters for all Cabinet confirmations save for executive nominations, providing an easy path for the majority of Trump's appointees to go through solely with Republican support. But that hasn't stopped Democrats from voicing their concerns over the upcoming administration.

As Trump’s cabinet confirmations are set to begin in late January, Democrats could look to garner a handful of Republican support to block some of Trump’s appointees. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John McCain of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and even Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, could provide an obstacle for Trump appointments.

Carson may have the toughest road to confirmation. The former GOP presidential candidate reportedly said he was unqualified for a cabinet position just weeks before he was selected to lead HUD.

"Our country deserves a HUD Secretary with the relevant experience to protect the rights of homeowners and renters, particularly in low-income and minority communities, and to ensure that everyone in our country can have access to safe and affordable housing without facing discrimination or homelessness," Pelosi wrote in a statement posted to Twitter immediately after news broke of Carson's appointment.

But Carson won't be the only selection facing sharp backlash from Democrats. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders blasted Trump for his secretary of state choice, writing “Very sad. Very dangerous. Mr. Tillerson must be opposed," on Twitter Tuesday. "Mr. Trump is making it abundantly clear that the fossil fuel industry’s short-term profits are more important than the future of the planet," he continued.

Sessions, on the other hand, is a career politician who has served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and should ease past the confirmation hearings for attorney general. There is expected to be sharp objections from Democrats, though, due to Sessions voting "yes" for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and after failing to become a federal judge in the 1980s after a judiciary committee found several of his past statements to be too racist to remain impartial.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that although he and Sessions "work out in the gym together," their friendship would not "absolve him from answering tough questions in the confirmation process."

"Given some of his past statements and his staunch opposition to immigration reform, I am very concerned about what he would do with the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice and want to hear what he has to say," Schumer said in a statement.

Still, even if Sessions' friend and colleague Schumer and the rest of the Democrats don't vote for him, or any of Trump's appointees, each will be confirmed by the Senate so long as Republicans remain unified ahead of the incoming administration.