Former President Barack Obama had six cabinet members confirmed by the Senate before his Inauguration Day in 2009. President Trump had two. But when President-elect Joe Biden takes office next week, it’s unclear whether he’ll have any cabinet members in place.
After he won the election, Biden rolled out his picks for top officials quickly. But between Trump’s protracted political fight over election results and the future control of the Senate up in the air until the Jan. 5 Georgia runoffs, the Republican-controlled Senate was slow to schedule hearings for them.
The first is slated for Friday, when the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hears from Avril Haines, Biden’s pick for Director of National Intelligence. Then on Tuesday, the day before inauguration, the Senate has scheduled hearings for four nominees: retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin for defense, Janet Yellen for the Treasury, Alejandro Mayorkas for homeland security, and Antony Blinken for the State Department.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
