Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is forming his kitchen cabinet — an inner circle of advisers outside of elected leadership, Axios has learned. Why it matters: A new leader means new alliances and new voices with influence.

President Trump said he is open to using recess appointments to get his Cabinet appointees confirmed if delays keep emerging in the Senate.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, on Wednesday called Democrat efforts to hold up Trumps Cabinet picks

Thune’s elected leadership team includes Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY), Conference Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR), Policy Committee Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and NRSC Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC).

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has selected four top Republican allies to be part of his unofficial cabinet as he looks to make his own impression on the upper chamber after taking the mantle from longtime GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

President Donald Trump answered questions at a press availability on a range of topics following a White House meeting with top congressional Republicans.

The Senate has passed a bill that would require federal authorities to detain migrants accused of theft and violent crimes.

The halls of the United States Capitol were calm the day before the 119th Congress was set to be sworn in. Desks on the floor of the Senate

Trump's actions were the latest step in his drive to overhaul Washington and erase the work of President Joe Biden's administration.

The pardons did not come as a surprise. As Senate Republicans were cheering for Trump on his march to electoral victory, the former and now current president exalted the “hostages” and “patriots” who injured more than 140 law enforcement officers and caused north of $2.8 million in damage to the Capitol, according to the Department of Justice.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said the plan is to pursue one bill that would encompass the new administration's major priorities – cracking down on people in the U.S. without authorization, boosting domestic energy production and implementing an expansive new tax plan.

Sen. John Thune, the new Senate majority leader from South Dakota, joins TODAY to weigh in on the flurry of pardons issued by Joe Biden in the last hours of his presidency and how he plans to work with Donald Trump to enact his agenda.