After slow early progress on approving President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees, the Senate is finally on track to catch up to its pace of confirmations at the beginning of the Trump and Obama administrations.
With Donald Trump’s impeachment trial over and Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package passed, the Senate is spending this week on a confirmation blitz. The chamber is set to approve Biden’s picks to lead the Justice Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Remember, we didn’t have a majority until three weeks later” than usual thanks to the Georgia Senate runoffs, noted Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the No. 3 Democratic leader. “There wasn’t much of a transition. So I think we’re doing pretty good.”
The Senate voted Tuesday evening to advance the nominations of Judge Merrick Garland for attorney general and Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) for secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Garland and Fudge are expected to be confirmed Wednesday. North Carolina environmental regulator Michael Regan is expected to win confirmation as EPA administrator this week, while Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) appears on track for a final vote to become Interior Secretary next week.
Thirteen members of Biden’s Cabinet have been confirmed so far this year, but that number is expected to increase to 16 by the end of the week. That brings this Congress close to the 18 Cabinet nominees confirmed under former president Trump during the same time period and equal to the 16 under former President Barack Obama in the equivalent timeframe. (The number of total Cabinet positions varies based on administration.)
But Biden came to the White House under different circumstances. Senate Democrats didn’t officially take the majority until January 20, after winning Georgia’s two run-off races. And only after Democrats effectively won the Senate on Jan. 6 did Biden announce he would nominate Garland for attorney general.
It also took weeks for Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to hammer out an agreement for governing the evenly split Senate, leaving Democrats without full control of the chamber’s committees until early February. On top of that, Trump’s impeachment trial in mid-February halted floor activity for about a week.
Considering those obstacles, Senate Democrats were confident in their progress toward giving Biden a Cabinet.
The catch-up effect on confirmations is due to “McConnell’s stalling the rules,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said, but also a “cascading effect of delay” because of Democrats winning the majority in January as opposed to November.
“It’s proceeding,” agreed Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). “Obviously there was some time lost in the impeachment week.”
Read More: Senate revs its confirmation engine to fill Biden’s Cabinet