Biden Cabinet Confirmation Live Thread ***hearings, votes, etc.***

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Becerra likely could have been confirmed eventually without Collins, but she is on the moderate side of the party given that she's voting for a lot of the more controversial nominees.

Collins is a "moderate" in much the same way that Joe Manchin is a DINO or Bob Casey is pro-life.  The only Republican Senator you could argue is even remotely moderate is Murkowski and even that is a bit of a stretch.

[emailking]

Well I see her and Murkowski as moderates as well as Manchin.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Well I see her and Murkowski as moderates as well as Manchin.

Manchin is a moderate.  Murkowski is arguably one as well, albeit on the more conservative side as far as moderates go.  Collins is simply a conservative partisan hack masquerading as a moderate.  She voted to put a sex predator who attempted to rape a woman on the Supreme Court and supported Donald Trump because that was the Republican line.  She's every bit as big a right-wing partisan hack as Ted Cruz or Mitch McConnell, she's just somewhat constrained at times by the fact that she's from Maine and thus has to maintain the illusion in order to keep getting reelected.

[emailking]

Manchin also voted for Kavanaugh.

[LeBron]

I hope you're happy with this annoying fake moderate, ME voters.

She just literally saved Becerra dude (with Hirono out Dems didn't have the votes on their own). She voted for Haaland as well. She's anything but the partisan warrior that Atlas makes her out to be.

No? Becerra’s confirmation was guaranteed the moment Manchin endorsed him. In a scenario where Collins is a no and Hirono is still out for the week, Schumer would have just delayed Becerra’s vote until Monday, and Harris would have broke the tie. Collins would have opposed him if she thought she could sink Becerra’s nomination for good...I have no doubt about that.

[Tender Branson]

When will Biden select a budget replacement candidate ?

When will the Senate read on the Wikipedia page that Biden has selected Eric Lander 2 months ago already for Science and announce a hearing ?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

When will Biden select a budget replacement candidate ?

When will the Senate read on the Wikipedia page that Biden has selected Eric Lander 2 months ago already for Science and announce a hearing ?

If he’s smart, he’ll just make Young acting OBM director and keep annually rotating a series of acting OBM directors to avoid wasting legislative days.

[brucejoel99]

When will Biden select a budget replacement candidate ?

Not 'til Shalanda Young has been confirmed as the Deputy (&, by extension, the Acting) OMB Director.

[Tender Branson]

Walsh confirmation vote for Minister of Labour set for 17:30 today.

[brucejoel99]

Now that we're done with the Cabinet secretaries, this goes out to anybody who spent the last 2+ months complaining that the confirmation process wasn't moving along fast enough:

The Senate will be busy this week, starting today with a vote to confirm Marty Walsh as Labor secretary. As we noted above, this will fill out the roster of President Joe Biden's Cabinet secretaries. This Senate got through confirmations faster than either the Obama or Trump administrations.

This comes despite the Democrats not taking over the Senate until mid-January following their upset victories in Georgia, the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. The Senate was not officially organized until Feb. 4.

[South Dakota Democrat]

Walsh confirmation vote for Minister of Labour set for 17:30 today.

That's not what it's called.

[brucejoel99]

Walsh confirmation vote for Minister of Labour set for 17:30 today.

That's not what it's called.

Yeah, we've told him this before:

Merrick Garland was just confirmed as Justice Minister.

It's called Attorney General.

I know.

But I call the office Justice Minister.

Ah, so you're just being wrong on-purpose. Thank you for so readily conceding that.

No.

I like to call the office like it is called in most countries: Minister for Justice.

Then it's also Prime Minister Merkel and Prime Minister Kurz. Chancellor only exists in Switzerland as a different role and on universities. That's a ridiculous argument.

For some reason, he just doesn't care about how wrong he looks or he's being purposely ignorant. Either way, no bueno.

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Walsh confirmed 68-29:

NAYs ---29
Barrasso (R-WY)
Boozman (R-AR)
Braun (R-IN)
Cotton (R-AR)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Daines (R-MT)
Ernst (R-IA)
Hagerty (R-TN)
Hawley (R-MO)
Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kennedy (R-LA)
Lankford (R-OK)
Lummis (R-WY)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Rounds (R-SD)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sasse (R-NE)
Scott (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Wicker (R-MS)
Young (R-IN)

Not Voting - 3
Blackburn (R-TN)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Toomey (R-PA)

[brucejoel99]

I mean the guy was an astronaut...

If he can get more funding for telescopes I'm good with it.

Bill Nelson got voted from office in the midst of dementia rumors and a campaign that did nothing to demonstrate that they were false. Maybe he has what it takes to keep the patronage machine rolling, but that's a best-case scenario. Many of us have higher aspirations for NASA, however unrealistic they have proven.

lol is this really a thing? Because as somebody who actually saw the guy in-person multiple times since that campaign (both during it & at UF following his having left office), there was nothing that indicated that's the case.

[emailking]

I mean the guy was an astronaut...

If he can get more funding for telescopes I'm good with it.

Bill Nelson got voted from office in the midst of dementia rumors and a campaign that did nothing to demonstrate that they were false. Maybe he has what it takes to keep the patronage machine rolling, but that's a best-case scenario. Many of us have higher aspirations for NASA, however unrealistic they have proven.

Well you and I may have different aspirations. I want more telescopes, not more rovers and manned missions.

I don't care about rumors. If he develops dementia he can resign.

[VAR]

White House withdraws deputy Interior secretary amid pushback from Murkowski

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

White House withdraws deputy Interior secretary amid pushback from Murkowski

What about Manchin?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

White House withdraws deputy Interior secretary amid pushback from Murkowski

What about Manchin?

Manchin probably signaled privately that he was gonna vote no or wanted her nomination pulled as a concession for voting to confirm someone more important like Kahl, Gupta, or Dr. Murthy.  My guess would be Kahl since apparently Manchin had a call about his nomination last night.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

We're going to go nowhere on climate change, if we have to keep capitulating to "pro-energy" (aka pro-fossil fuel industry) Senators. They still have too much of a grip on climate policy.

[Del Tachi]

We're going to go nowhere on climate change, if we have to keep capitulating to "pro-energy" (aka pro-fossil fuel industry) Senators. They still have too much of a grip on climate policy.

These senators represent the 6.7 million Americans who work in the energy sector

[MaxQue]

We're going to go nowhere on climate change, if we have to keep capitulating to "pro-energy" (aka pro-fossil fuel industry) Senators. They still have too much of a grip on climate policy.

These senators represent the 6.7 million Americans who work in the energy sector

I thought senators represented states. If you want people representing  sectors, feel free to move to Hong Kong (they have "functionnal constituencies").

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

We're going to go nowhere on climate change, if we have to keep capitulating to "pro-energy" (aka pro-fossil fuel industry) Senators. They still have too much of a grip on climate policy.

These senators represent the 6.7 million Americans who work in the energy sector

I thought senators represented states. If you want people representing  sectors, feel free to move to Hong Kong (they have "functionnal constituencies").

tbf, the Irish Senate is set up this way as well.

[Del Tachi]

We're going to go nowhere on climate change, if we have to keep capitulating to "pro-energy" (aka pro-fossil fuel industry) Senators. They still have too much of a grip on climate policy.

These senators represent the 6.7 million Americans who work in the energy sector

I thought senators represented states. If you want people representing  sectors, feel free to move to Hong Kong (they have "functionnal constituencies").

Senators do represent states.  And the "pro-energy" senators do, in fact, represent states where the energy sector is a relatively large part of the local economy (i.e., LA, TX, ND, WY, AK, etc.)

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Senators do represent states.  And the "pro-energy" senators do, in fact, represent states where the energy sector is a relatively large part of the local economy (i.e., LA, TX, ND, WY, AK, etc.)

The economy of those states SHOULD and MUST become diversified and less reliant on fossil fuels. The 21st century is here, those states should should join this century.

[Del Tachi]

Senators do represent states.  And the "pro-energy" senators do, in fact, represent states where the energy sector is a relatively large part of the local economy (i.e., LA, TX, ND, WY, AK, etc.)

The economy of those states SHOULD and MUST become diversified and less reliant on fossil fuels. The 21st century is here, those states should should join this century.

Join the 21st century?  Fossil fuels still supply 84 percent of global energy.  Investment in fossil fuel technology and efficiency should take center-stage in our energy policy