Schumer instructs Democrats to exert pressure on Trump nominees prior to confirmation hearings.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, advised his caucus not to restrain themselves during the confirmation hearings for some of President-elect Trump's top nominees starting this week.

According to a Senate Democratic source, Schumer stated during last week's caucus lunch that the upcoming hearings will serve as an opportunity for them to question Trump's nominees about the incoming president's agenda.

The Democratic leader instructed his party to question nominees about their specific plans to fulfill some of Trump's campaign promises, according to a source.

According to the source, Schumer and Democrats view the confirmation hearings as a chance to expose Trump's nominees on significant issues that affect working-class Americans, who have been pivotal voters in recent elections.

Democrats plan to reveal the backgrounds of their nominees, and they could use this time to prepare for any future mistakes made by Trump appointees, allowing them to claim they warned colleagues beforehand.

On Tuesday, the confirmation hearings will commence with Doug Collins being examined at 9 a.m. to become the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, followed by Pete Hegseth's hearing to be Trump's Defense secretary at 9:30 a.m.

This week, other Trump picks who will testify before committees include Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota for Homeland Security, Chris Wright, CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, for Energy, and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida for State.

If all Republicans support Trump's selections, they could confirm them without any Democratic support, given their 53-seat majority in the Senate.

The confirmation hearing for Hegseth is yet to take place, and many Democrats have already announced their plans to grill him about allegations of fund mismanagement and sexual assault, which he has denied.

Whether a nominee is confirmed or not, hearings can influence the outcome.

Last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., expressed her concerns about Hegseth's fitness to lead the Department of Defense, stating that his behavior and rhetoric were unsuitable for the role.

"Your appointment as Secretary of Defense would harm our national security and disregard the sacrifices of a diverse group of service members who are willing to serve our country," she stated.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Armed Services committee, is expected to raise concerns about Mr. Hegseth's lack of qualifications during his meeting with him last week. Despite meeting with Hegseth, Reed stated after the meeting that his concerns about Hegseth's qualifications were not alleviated and that the meeting raised more questions than answers.

"Like all nominees for this crucial position, Mr. Hegseth will face the same rigorous examination as previous Secretary of Defense candidates."

The confirmation process of Hegseth has been closely watched, but it is predicted that Democrats will apply pressure to several Trump nominees, except for their colleague Marco Rubio, whom they plan to support.