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The timeline for confirming Biden’s Cabinet nominees could accelerate when Democrats take control of the Senate in the coming days. But Republicans, amid the coronavirus pandemic and the Capitol riots, have been slow to schedule confirmation hearings.
The first round of hearings is expected to take place on January 19 – days and in some cases weeks after those hearings began in recent transitions – with no confirmation date set.
That makes next Tuesday – the day before Biden’s inauguration – a full of confirmation hearings, with Biden’s nominees as heads of defense, homeland security, state, and treasury departments, all planned.
The proximity of Biden’s inauguration makes it unlikely that confirmations from Biden’s administration will keep pace with his predecessors over the past decades, with all new presidents of the past 30 years seeing at least some Cabinet candidates confirmed on the days of their inauguration.
The early days of Biden’s administration will see a collision in Congress of the Senate trial against incumbent President Donald Trump, the process of confirming Biden’s nominees, and discussions over Biden’s proposed coronavirus vaccine for $ 1.9 trillion dollars and the economic stimulus proposal.
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer set to replace Republican Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader after Biden was sworn in and two Georgia Democrats who won the second round this month – making Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the deciding vote in a 50-50 split Senate – the confirmation timeline could accelerate.
Biden officials are pushing for the Senate to operate in multiple tracks at once, holding confirmation hearings during Trump’s impeachment trial. In a briefing with reporters on Friday night, Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki highlighted Trump’s first indictment, noting that the Senate had held independent hearings during that trial.
“Our expectation, our hope and our belief is that we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Psaki said. “We’re asking for swift action to get these nominees in place … as close to day one as possible.”
Biden’s transition team made an effort this week to secure confirmation hearings for national security positions on the Senate committee calendar.
Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement Friday that while auditions for key positions have since been scheduled, “the American people deserve assurance that quick votes will follow.”
“Progress towards confirmations still lags significantly behind what it was at this stage during the last two presidential transitions, and it is essential that key national security and economic officials are confirmed and in place from day one. And the Senate has held hearings throughout last year’s impeachment. procedure.”
Experts said that with Biden facing immediate challenges in tackling the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, as well as threats to national security in the wake of the Jan.6 riot on Capitol Hill, he is crucial to quickly set up its agency heads.
“There has never been a more important time to get confirmed candidates in place because we are facing an economic crisis, a health crisis and a political crisis,” said David Marchick, director of the nonprofit Center for the presidential transition to the Partnership for the Public Service.
Anticipating a delay in confirmation votes, Biden’s transition team is identifying officials across the government to serve as interim secretaries to oversee what he hopes will be a seamless transition of power, said people familiar with the government. subject.
David Norquist, the current Deputy Secretary of Defense, is being asked to lead the Pentagon until Biden’s new team is in place, the sources said. He will remain in place until the confirmation of Lloyd Austin, the retired general whose appointment requires a waiver of the House and Senate because he has not been absent from the military for the required seven years.
In the coming days, Biden’s aides say, more officials will be appointed to key agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Justice Department.
Biden has also moved faster than his predecessors in recent decades to fill White House and departmental positions that do not require Senate confirmation – meaning many of his selections can begin their jobs on the 20th. January, even though cabinet nominees are delayed. .
“We need to act quickly to recruit the right people into these agencies and make sure that we keep this country safe and are prepared to deal with any threats that may arise,” Biden’s new chief of staff said. , Ron Klain, in a statement. live interview with the Washington Post on Friday.
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.
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