In Transition

State Department

CQ's Adam Graham-Silverman reports that members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will be looking for a chance to get Clinton on the record on issues large and small.

"At the end of day, Hillary Rodham Clinton is going to get confirmed," one Senate aide said. "The bigger question is laying down markers. What is the policy that they are going to advocate and push?"

Republicans might test Clinton's positions as senator against those Obama used in his campaign platform.

"Are you going to come down on Obama's side or on the side you maintained as senator?" the GOP aide asked.

The answer could have consequences for the Middle East, since Clinton was seen as more hawkish and closer to Israel during her presidential primary campaign against Obama. She voted in favor of a resolution calling for the designation of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group -- critics called such a designation a pretext for war -- and said in an interview that the United States could "totally obliterate" Iran in response to an attack on Israel.

Energy Department

CQ's Coral Davenport reports that Chu is likely to face pointed questioning about what he meant when he he said burning coal to generate power is an environmental "nightmare."

"Given the demographics of our committee, they probably will invite Dr. Chu to elaborate and expand on precisely what he was thinking when he said that," said Bill Wicker, a spokesman for committee Democrats.

Chu, director of the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a noted authority on renewable energy, can expect tough questions from Energy and Natural Resources Committee members representing coal-producing states, including Republicans Bob Corker of Tennessee, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Jim Bunning of Kentucky, as well as Democrats Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota, Jon Tester of Montana and Chairman Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico.

While Chu's views on coal may be a flash point at the hearing, they are unlikely to derail his nomination. Since making the comments, "Dr. Chu has met with a number of coal-state senators, and they seem to be less fussed about this," Wicker said.

Education Department

CQ's Lydia Gensheimer reports that Duncan will come before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for what is expected to be the start of a smooth confirmation process.

He will face questions about his seven-year tenure as chief executive of Chicago public schools, as well as his vision for education policy in the Obama administration. Senate aides say his path to confirmation will be easy.

Democrats will ask how Duncan plans to implement Obama's education platform, and Richard M. Burr, R-N.C., said he looks forward to talking about Duncan's vision for the future of American education.

"I share Arne Duncan's commitment to improving graduation rates and ensuring that we have competent teachers in our classrooms," Burr said.

While Duncan's professional focus has been limited to early childhood and K-12 education, he will also face questions about his higher education plans, including issues of cost and access to student loans.

Committee members say they will ask Duncan whether he plans to implement any of the reforms he introduced in the Chicago schools on a national scale.

As Chicago schools CEO, Duncan opened single-sex schools and public military academies and championed charter schools. He also instituted strict standards for principals and stressed teacher quality. Last summer, Chicago began paying bonuses to high-performing teachers through a pay-for-performance program negotiated with the city's teachers' union.

Office of Management and Budget

CQ's David Clarke reports that Orszag, who served two years as director of the Congressional Budget Office, is expected to be confirmed as White House budget chief. In his new role, Orszag could find that some of the CBO analyses he testified in support of previously.

For instance, Obama supports allowing the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies over Medicare prescription drug prices, citing the savings achieved by the Department of Veterans Affairs' health system. But the CBO has concluded that this authority alone would not save the government money and that the VA system is not an apt comparison -- a point Orszag has made in testimony to Congress.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., said he may ask Orszag about the issue again Tuesday. "I expect that he'll soften that a little bit because Sen. Obama supported that, and I think it can bring some savings," Cardin said.