Biden urges Senate to quickly confirm key Cabinet picks
By Brett Samuels - 01/08/21 02:31 PM EST
President-elect Joe Biden on Friday called on the Senate to confirm key Cabinet officials as close to Inauguration Day as possible, arguing there is greater urgency given the economic strain of the coronavirus pandemic and the violence at the Capitol this week.
The Senate has yet to take action on any of Biden's picks for his Cabinet, and the president-elect is poised to take office Jan. 20 without a single agency leader confirmed to their role. Democrats have pressed for holding hearings before the inauguration. At least one hearing, for Defense secretary nominee Lloyd Austin, is set for Jan. 19.
"It's my expectation and hope that the Senate will now move to confirm these nominees promptly and fairly," Biden said in Wilmington, Del., at an event unveiling his picks for Commerce and Labor secretary and the head of the Small Business Administration.
"That is especially the case for the nominees of secretary of State, Defense, Treasury and Homeland Security. I nominated them back in November," he continued. "Given what our country has been through the last four years — the last few days — given the threats and the risks in this world, they should be confirmed as close to Jan. 20 as possible. There should be no vacancies at State, Defense, Treasury and Homeland Security. We have no time to lose with regard to the entire team."
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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/533380-biden-urges-senate-to-quickly-confirm-key-cabinet-picks
