Tag Archives: Biden Cabinet

Spectrum News reports: The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the first Black woman to lead the department in decades. The final vote was 66-34. Notable GOP support included Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, who announced this week he is not seeking reelection, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, …

ABC News reports: A key Senate committee on Thursday approved the nomination of New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland to be interior secretary, clearing the way for a Senate vote that is likely to make her the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved Haaland’s nomination, 11-9, sending it to the Senate …

CNN reports: The White House is pulling the nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget, according to an administration official. In a statement, President Joe Biden said Tanden requested to withdraw her name from consideration. “I have accepted Neera Tanden’s request to withdraw her name from nomination for Director of the Office of Management and …

Axios reports: The Senate voted 84-15 on Tuesday to confirm Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to lead the Commerce Department. The agency promotes U.S. industry, oversees the Census Bureau, plays a key role in the government’s study of climate change through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and evaluates emerging technology through the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Raimondo, …

USA Today reports: The Senate confirmed Miguel Cardona as President Joe Biden’s education secretary Monday. Cardona, confirmed in a 64-33 vote, will oversee an Education Department that employs thousands and has an annual budget of more than $60 billion. He would also oversee the agency’s $1.5 trillion student loan portfolio. He takes the helm of American schooling at a fraught …

CNBC reports: The Judiciary Committee on Monday advanced federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland’s nomination to be attorney general to the full Senate, paving the way for his confirmation to head the Department of Justice. The bipartisan vote was 15-7. A full Senate vote has not been scheduled but could come early this week. Garland’s hearings before the committee last …

The Associated Press reports: Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm won Senate confirmation Thursday to be President Joe Biden’s energy secretary. The vote was 64-35. Granholm, who served two terms as governor in a state dominated by the auto industry, will be a key player in Biden’s vision for a green economy as the United States fights to slow climate change. …

Axios reports: The Senate on Tuesday voted 92-7 to confirm former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as secretary of the Department of Agriculture. The big picture: Vilsack, a longtime supporter of President Biden, is returning to the department he led for eight years under the Obama administration. He served as governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007. Between the lines: Sen. …

The Wall Street Journal reports: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is expected to face a tough confirmation hearing Tuesday as Republicans are set to argue that President Biden’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary is overly liberal and lacks public-health experience. Mr. Becerra’s hearing Tuesday with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will be followed by a …

The Associated Press reports: For Native Americans, Deb Haaland is more than an elected official on track to become the first Indigenous secretary of the Interior Department. She is a sister, an auntie and a fierce pueblo woman whose political stances have been molded by her upbringing. On Tuesday, Haaland’s confirmation hearing will be closely watched in tribal communities across …

ABC News reports: Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland will face another day of questioning Tuesday on how he’ll oversee probes ranging from the Jan. 6 Capitol breach to Hunter Biden’s business dealings — along with his stance on left-wing rioters in Portland and Seattle. Garland pledged during Monday’s hearing that handling the investigation into last month’s deadly siege on the …

The Hill reports: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) will oppose Neera Tanden’s nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), underscoring the dwindling number of potential GOP supporters for her confirmation. “Senator Romney has been critical of extreme rhetoric from prior nominees, and this is consistent with that position. He believes it’s hard to return to comity and respect …

CNN reports: At last, Merrick Garland gets his Senate confirmation hearing. Five years ago, Garland became the poster child for the Republican blockade of an open Supreme Court seat in the final year of President Barack Obama’s term when Senate Republicans denied even a hearing to the Supreme Court nominee. Now Garland gets another chance to go before the Senate …

Via press release from Sen. Susan Collins: The Director of OMB is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the federal budget and plays a significant role in any Administration’s fiscal and regulatory agenda. Congress has to be able to trust the OMB director to make countless decisions in an impartial manner, carrying out the letter of the law …

The Independent reports: Senator Joe Manchin has announced he opposes the nomination of Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Office of Management & Budget, Neera Tanden. The West Virginia Democrat said in a statement: “Her overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the …

CNN reports: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will quarantine for 14 days after a member of his security detail tested positive for Covid-19, department chief of staff Laura Schiller said in a statement. Schiller’s statement says the agent has been in “close contact” with Buttigieg as recently as Monday morning. Buttigieg tested negative Monday and has not shown any symptoms, the …

CBS News reports: President Biden on Wednesday morning is set to swear in Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary, making the former South Bend, Ind., mayor the nation’s first openly LGBTQ Cabinet secretary. The Senate confirmed Buttigieg on Tuesday by 86-13 vote. Biden is scheduled to hold the ceremony at 9:30 a.m. 

CNBC reports: The Senate confirmed Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday to lead the nation’s Department of Homeland Security, making him the first Latino to hold the role. The Senate voted 56 to 43. His ascension to the agency’s top role comes less than four weeks after supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol and as the nation struggles …

ABC News reports: The Senate is poised to approve Pete Buttigieg to be transportation secretary, the first openly gay person ever confirmed to a Cabinet post, tasked with advancing President Joe Biden’s wide-ranging agenda of rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure and fighting climate change. Buttigieg’s nomination was set for a final vote Tuesday in the full Senate, after the 39-year-old former …

The Washington Post reports: The Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday morning to decide whether to give a thumbs-up to Pete Buttigieg’s nomination as President Biden’s secretary of transportation. Buttigieg sat for a friendly 2 1/2 hour hearing before the committee last week, delivering a wide-ranging performance that impressed Republicans and Democrats alike. Buttigieg, 39, stands to become …