Only two more Cabinet-level nominees remain: Education designee Linda McMahon and Labor designee Lori Chavez-DeRemer (who could lose some Republican votes due to her relatively pro-labor record but could well pick up a number of Democrats).

Patel joins the list of nominees who endured an uphill battle before finally getting confirmed. They include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.