Cruz delays confirmation of Biden’s Commerce pick
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has put a hold on President Joe Biden’s pick for Commerce secretary, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, spotlighting the Republican’s staunch opposition to the new commander in chief ’s Cabinet selections.
Cruz confirmed Thursday that he was delaying Raimondo’s confirmation, citing a lack of clarity over her position on Huawei, a Chinese telecom giant.
“Gina Raimondo’s ethics issues and soft stance on China including her refusal to commit to keep Huawei on the Entities List is deeply troubling,” Cruz wrote on Twitter. “That’s why I voted against advancing her nomination.”
Cruz’s opposition to Raimondo is no outlier.
The Texan has so far voted for only one of Biden’s Cabinet selections: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He has voted against the five others who’ve been confirmed so far, while also already making clear he plans to oppose others who are still working through the process.
Cruz’s approach stands in contrast to that of Sen. John Cornyn, a fellow Republican.
Cornyn, while noting policy differences with several Biden nominees, has voted for all but one of the Biden Cabinet picks confirmed to date. The exception was Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whom Cornyn opposed over concerns about immigration policy.
Cruz isn’t likely to prevent Raimondo from securing confirmation. But his use of a hold, a parliamentary tactic in the Senate, could stretch out a process that will already be delayed by the upcoming impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
His hang-up on Raimondo focuses on Huawei and its ties to the Chinese government, with Cruz saying on Twitter that he’ll “lift the hold when the Biden admin commits to keep the massive Chinese Communist Party spy operation Huawei on the Entity List.”
Rep. Michael McCaul of Austin, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, earlier this week led a group of House Republicans in requesting a hold on Raimondo’s nomination until “until the Biden administration commits to keeping Huawei on the Entity List.”