The day before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, five of his cabinet nominees will answer questions from Senate panels handling their confirmations. The busy committee calendar is ramping up at the same time as an impeachment trial is expected to start, posing a split screen challenge for the Senate, which is still reeling from an attack less than two weeks ago.
The process of vetting the top officials in the new administration comes as the Senate is still in a period of transition. Democrats are due to take the majority after winning a pair of runoff elections in Georgia earlier this month.
Since Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, the newly elected Democrats from Georgia, have not been sworn in yet, Republicans currently have the majority in the Senate and GOP chairs will preside over the five confirmation hearings on Tuesday. Warnock and Ossoff’s elections are expected to be certified soon so they can officially begin their Senate work. In addition, Alex Padilla, appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to take the seat of vice-president elect Kamala Harris, could be sworn in as soon as this week. But the organization of the 50-50 Senate could take some time to sort out. Harris will serve as the tie-breaking vote as the vice president also serves as president of the Senate.
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
