A look at how President Biden’s Cabinet nominees fared Tuesday
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s Cabinet is starting to fill out, with nominees for agriculture secretary and United Nations ambassador gaining Senate approval.
Here’s what happened Tuesday:
UNITED NATIONS
The Senate voted 78-20 to approve career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield as United Nations Ambassador, a Cabinet-level position. A 35-year foreign service veteran who resigned during the Trump administration, Thomas-Greenfield will have to address multiple international relationships that were altered by Trump’s erratic and isolationist style.
During confirmation hearings, Thomas-Greenfield faced some criticism from Senate Republicans who labeled her soft on China, citing a 2019 speech she gave to the Chinese-funded Confucius Institute in which she praised China’s massive infrastructure and influence program in Africa.
She said the speech had been a mistake and was not intended to be an endorsement of Chinese government policies. She said of China, “They are a threat to their neighbors, and they are a threat across the globe.”
AGRICULTURE
The Senate voted 92-7 to confirm Tom Vilsack for a return engagement as agriculture secretary.
The former Iowa governor spent eight years leading the same department under former President Barack Obama.
In his testimony, Vilsack, 70, heavily endorsed boosting climate-friendly agricultural industries such as the creation of biofuels, saying, “Agriculture is one of our first and best ways to get some wins in this climate area.”
Vilsack received minimal pushback or criticism during confirmation hearings. One of the few “no” votes came from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats. Sanders said he would have liked “somebody a little bit more vigorous in terms of protecting family farms and taking on corporate agriculture.”
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health and Human Services nominee Xavier Becerra told senators that “strong federal leadership” was needed to confront the coronavirus pandemic. He also pledged to work to expand health insurance coverage, curb prescription drug costs and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in medical care.
Currently California’s attorney general, Becerra appeared Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He has a second confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Finance Committee, which will vote on sending his nomination to the Senate floor.
On Tuesday, he pledged to work to expand the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, though he’s previously supported a government-run system like “Medicare for All.”
INTERIOR
Rep. Deb Haaland, Biden’s nominee to lead the
Interior Department, fielded sharp questions from Republicans over what some called her “radical” ideas that include opposition to fracking and to the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The New Mexico congresswoman said she was determined to “strike the right balance” between conserving public lands and energy development.
Haaland’s hearing centered on her and Biden’s intentions regarding the future of fossil fuels. Her hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee was adjourned after nearly 2 1/2 hours and will resume Wednesday.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., displayed a large chart featuring a quote from Haaland last November, before she was selected as Biden’s nominee. She said then: “If I had my way, it’d be great to stop all gas and oil leasing on federal and public lands.”
In response, Haaland said the U.S. will continue to rely on fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas even as it moves toward Biden’s goal of net zero carbon emissions by mid-century.