How does Senate confirmation work?

Whenever a U.S. president nominates someone to fill a position in an administration — whether it’s just after the election or another time during the president’s term in office — that nominee’s appointment must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Somewhere between 1,200 and 1,400 government positions require confirmation. While many confirmation hearings take place just before and after a president takes office, the Senate must hold confirmation hearings for replacement appointments throughout a president’s term.

Here’s how it works:

Infographic of steps for Senate confirmation: background checks, financial disclosures, nomination letters, committee hearings, Senate debate and vote (State Dept./Julia Maruszewski)
(State Dept./Julia Maruszewski)

A version of this story was previously published April 5, 2018.