Tag Archives: Biden Cabinet

Senate Confirms Antony Blinken As Secretary Of State

NPR reports: With bipartisan support, the Senate confirmed Antony Blinken as the new secretary of state on Tuesday. The final vote was 78 to 22. Blinken, 58, was earlier approved overwhelmingly by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As the top U.S. diplomat, Blinken will face a number of national security challenges, including how to deal with China, Russia and Iran. …

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Janet Yellen Confirmed As Treasury Sec In 84-15 Vote

The Washington Post reports: Janet Yellen was confirmed as the first female treasury secretary in American history by the U.S. Senate Monday evening. Yellen’s confirmation process garnered little controversy as the former Federal Reserve chair has long-standing ties to Senate policymakers and extensive economic and government credentials. The final vote was 84-15, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) among …

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Senate Approves Lloyd Austin As Secretary Of Defense

NPR reports: Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star Army general, has been confirmed by the Senate, making him the first Black secretary of defense in U.S. history. The Senate approved President Biden’s nomination for Pentagon chief in a near-unanimous 93 to 2 vote. Austin’s nomination was approved despite concerns raised on both sides of the aisle that he hadn’t been out …

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LIVE VIDEO: Buttigieg Testifies At Confirmation Hearing

CBS News reports: A Senate committee will hold confirmation hearings Thursday on Pete Buttigieg, President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Transportation Department. Buttigieg is expected to outline his vision to uphold the safety of travelers, improve the nation’s infrastructure system and fulfill Mr. Biden’s infrastructure goals amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If confirmed, Buttigieg would oversee a department that requested …

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Senate Approves Avril Haines As Biden’s Intel Director

Fox News reports: The Senate voted to confirm Avril Haines as director of National Intelligence, making her the first woman in history to lead the intelligence community. The Senate confirmed Haines 84-10, just hours after President Joe Biden was sworn into office. Haines had her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday and vowed to “set a strategic vision” …

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Hawley Blocks Quick Vote On Biden DHS Sec Nominee

The Washington Post reports: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) blocked the Senate from giving Biden’s choice for homeland security secretary a quick confirmation, forcing him to go through the full committee vetting process, because of Hawley’s objections to Biden’s immigration policies. There was a desire to have Alejandro N. Mayorkas in place quickly because of the importance of the post. Hawley …

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Pete Buttigieg’s Confirmation Hearing Set For Thursday

The Hill reports: Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s confirmation hearing for the role of Transportation secretary will be held Thursday. Just a day after President-elect Joe Biden is slated for inauguration, Buttigieg will face questions from members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. If he’s approved, Buttigieg will be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary …

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RI Gov. Gina Raimondo Tapped As Commerce Secretary

The New York Times reports: President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is expected to announce Gina M. Raimondo, the governor of Rhode Island, as his commerce secretary, a key economic position given the agency’s critical role in everything from technology policy to climate change to promoting American industry, according to a person familiar with the decision. Ms. Raimondo, a moderate Democrat …

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Boston Mayor Marty Walsh Tapped As Labor Secretary

Politico reports: President-elect Joe Biden has picked Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a former top union leader, to serve as his Labor secretary, according to four sources, ending a selection process that split the labor movement and stoked diversity concerns among Democrats. Biden was widely expected to choose a Labor Department head who enjoyed the support of unions, given the president-elect’s …

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Biden To Tap Miguel Cardona As Education Secretary

The New York Times reports: President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is expected to nominate Miguel A. Cardona, Connecticut’s education commissioner, to serve as his education secretary, tapping a Latino to be the nation’s highest education policymaker, according to two officials familiar with his plans. Dr. Cardona, if confirmed by the Senate, would be tasked with bringing the elementary, secondary and …

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GOP Senator Vows “Tough” Hearings For Biden Picks

ABC News reports: President-elect Joe Biden’s nominees for Cabinet positions will have to “run the gauntlet” if the GOP controls the Senate next year, the third-ranking Republican in the chamber said. “So it’s not going to be a garden party if the Republicans are in the majority. These nominees are going to have to run the gauntlet,” Sen. John Barrasso …

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Biden Taps Rep. Deb Haaland As Interior Secretary

The Washington Post reports: President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Democratic Rep. Deb Haaland, a congresswoman from New Mexico, to serve as the first Native American interior secretary in a historic pick for a department that oversees the country’s vast natural resources, including tribal lands. A member of Pueblo of Laguna, the 60 year-old Haaland would become the first descendant of …

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LIVE VIDEO: Biden Intros Cabinet Nominee Buttigieg

CBS News reports: President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday will formally introduce Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who competed against him for the Democratic presidential nomination, as his nominee to lead the Department of Transportation. The president-elect’s transition team announced Tuesday that Mr. Biden tapped Buttigieg, 38, to helm the department, which is responsible for overseeing the …

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Biden To Name Buttigieg As Transportation Secretary

The Washington Post reports: President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Pete Buttigieg to be his secretary of transportation, elevating the onetime rival to a key role in the incoming administration’s push to rebuild American infrastructure and the economy, according to three people familiar with the decision. The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed …

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CNN: Buttigieg May Get Transportation Secretary Post

CNN reports: Pete Buttigieg is emerging as a leading contender to be Joe Biden’s Transportation secretary, multiple sources familiar with the transition’s deliberations tell CNN. Discussions about the transportation job are fluid and ongoing. Multiple Democrats have also been considered for the post, including former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo. …

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Biden To Name Tom Vilsack As Agriculture Secretary

Axios reports: President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as his agriculture secretary, people familiar with the matter tell Axios. Why it matters: The selection of Vilsack is another example of Biden turning to a trusted friend to serve in a key role.Biden’s choice of Vilsack indicates he wants the USDA to stay more focused on …

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Biden Taps Rep. Marcia Fudge At Housing Secretary

Politico reports: President-elect Joe Biden has selected Rep. Marcia Fudge to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. The next HUD secretary will take over amid an acute housing crisis, as millions of tenants walloped by the pandemic-driven economic crisis face eviction and massive back-rent bills. The Biden administration is …

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Biden To Name Gen. Lloyd Austin As Defense Secretary

Politico reports: Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, once viewed as a long-shot candidate to be President-elect Joe Biden’s defense secretary, has been chosen to lead the Pentagon, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. The decision comes two weeks after Biden announced the other senior members of his national security team. In recent days, Austin, the former commander of …

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Biden Taps California AG Xavier Becerra As HHS Sec

The New York Times reports: President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has selected Xavier Becerra, a former congressman who is now the Democratic attorney general of California, as his nominee for secretary of health and human services, ending a politically delicate search that brought complaints from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus about a lack of Latinos in the incoming cabinet. Mr. Becerra …

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LIVE VIDEO: Biden Introduces First Cabinet Nominees

The Guardian reports: President-elect Joe Biden has taken the podium in Wilmington, Delaware, to announce some of the leading figures of his incoming administration. “It’s a team that will keep our country and our people safe and secure,” he said. In a prompt and clear rejection of Donald Trump’s retreat from cooperation on the world stage, with his nationalist “America …

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