President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees to face Senate panel today
Five of President-elect Joe Biden’s national security Cabinet nominees will face Senate panels on Tuesday in the first step of the confirmation process.
Janet Yellen, Avril Haines, Alejandro Mayorkas, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin will appear before the Senate committees to be considered for treasury secretary, director of national intelligence, secretary of Homeland Security, secretary of state, secretary of defense respectively.
Biden is set to take office on Wednesday without key members of his Cabinet in place, as the Republican-controlled Senate has moved more slowly to schedule confirmation hearings for his nominees than it has for previous presidents. But the timeline for confirming Biden’s nominees could accelerate in the coming days, when Democrats take control of the Senate.
Biden’s Cabinet confirmation hearings could run up against the Senate’s impeachment trial of outgoing President Donald Trump timing for which has not yet been scheduled and as Biden attempts to push through Congress his $1.9 trillion coronavirus vaccine and economic stimulus proposal.
