OMB director pick likely to be confirmed, but his battles have just begun

Republican doubts about Rep. Mick Mulvaney, President Trump's choice to lead the Office of Management and Budget, could foreshadow an internal administration struggle over priorities in the federal budget.

Mulvaney is expected to attract the votes necessary for his confirmation on Thursday, despite early signs that a handful of senators were wavering on their support of the fiscal conservative.

But their initial reluctance to back Mulvaney demonstrates the challenges he will face when it comes to writing the president's first budget.

Sen. Thad Cochran, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, did not announce his decision to vote for Mulvaney until Wednesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, an aide to the Mississippi Republican told the Washington Examiner that "he has not decided how he will vote."

Cochran's reservations reportedly stemmed from Mulvaney's past pushes to rein in defense spending. Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNN he was "leaning against" a vote to confirm Mulvaney due to the nominee's previous efforts to reduce the flow of funding to the Pentagon.