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

[Virginiá]

Is that the best they could do for NASA? 78 year old space man Bill Nelson?

With all due respect to the man, he is a career politician who had a special interest in outer space. Could we not find an actual scientist (or someone similar) with an actual career in that field to lead that agency? Maybe someone a wee bit younger who is on top of their game?

[brucejoel99]

Is that the best they could do for NASA? 78 year old space man Bill Nelson?

Eh, if we can have a 78-year-old be our literal Commander-in-Chief, then I see no reason why one can't be NASA Administrator too. And besides, I think it'd be hard to find somebody younger than Bill Nelson who has the same mix of congressional & NASA-based knowledge that would allow him to both negotiate (& fight, if necessary) with Congress for the funding that they want while not actively trying to f**k with NASA & their own undertakings like Bridenstine did (& that - inherently speaking - only he has, since only he was NASA's de-facto Capitol Hill liaison for 3 decades).

[Virginiá]

Is that the best they could do for NASA? 78 year old space man Bill Nelson?

Eh, if we can have a 78-year-old be our literal Commander-in-Chief, then I see no reason why one can't be NASA Administrator too. And besides, I think it'd be hard to find somebody younger than Bill Nelson who has the same mix of congressional & NASA-based knowledge that would allow him to both negotiate (& fight, if necessary) with Congress for the funding that they want while not actively trying to f**k with NASA & their own undertakings like Bridenstine did (& that - inherently speaking - only he has, since only he was NASA's de-facto Capitol Hill liaison for 3 decades).

Yeah, but I never liked that about Biden either. I'm fine with it at this point but it was not my ideal scenario, and for a variety of reasons.

[brucejoel99]

More non-Cabinet stuff but NOW IT'S JUDGE TIME, MOTHERF**KERS!! God, what a glorious day today is:

https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1372623332999315457

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

Walsh passed cloture 68-30.

[Crumpets]

https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1372626044897878017

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

https://twitter.com/SenateCloakroom/status/1372625427911561223?s=20
https://twitter.com/SenateCloakroom/status/1372625504503742468?s=20

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Next List:

Cal. #32 Young to be Deputy OMB Director
Cal. #39 Murthy to be Surgeon General
Cal. #40 Levine to be an Assistant HHS Secretary
Cal. #38 Turk to be Deputy Secretary of Energy
Cal. #30 Adeyemo to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Is that the best they could do for NASA? 78 year old space man Bill Nelson?

With all due respect to the man, he is a career politician who had a special interest in outer space. Could we not find an actual scientist (or someone similar) with an actual career in that field to lead that agency? Maybe someone a wee bit younger who is on top of their game?

Yeah, but I never liked that about Biden either. I'm fine with it at this point but it was not my ideal scenario, and for a variety of reasons.

I agree with you 100%.

[emailking]

I mean the guy was an astronaut...

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

[Skunk]

Is that the best they could do for NASA? 78 year old space man Bill Nelson?

With all due respect to the man, he is a career politician who had a special interest in outer space. Could we not find an actual scientist (or someone similar) with an actual career in that field to lead that agency? Maybe someone a wee bit younger who is on top of their game?

Honestly even if he wanted to have someone with Congressional experience at the head of NASA, he could have picked a certain former Oklahoma Congresswoman.

[Beet]

They should've just offered it to Elon Musk. Let's be real; he's the head of the American space program, and he has been for a long time, not NASA.

[wbrocks67]

What is with this whole thing of Senators not voting? You can't be bothered to show up for this? 9 of them for the Haaland vote, Mazie Horono for Beccera...

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

What is with this whole thing of Senators not voting? You can't be bothered to show up for this? 9 of them for the Haaland vote, Mazie Horono for Beccera...

Hirono apparently has health problems (and the Senate, unlike the House, hasn't implemented proxy voting), but nearly one-tenth of the Senate not showing up for Haaland seems almost as insulting to her as not confirming her would have been.

[MaxQue]

Apparently, a bunch of flights out west were cancelled due to a big snowstorm, leaving some Western senators stuck home.

[VAR]

https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/1372921965984559108

[Sir Mohamed]

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

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

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.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

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, she didn’t

Hirono would’ve just given another Democrat her proxy if necessary.

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

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, she didn’t

Hirono would’ve just given another Democrat her proxy if necessary.

Proxy voting is not a thing in the Senate (at least on the floor).

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

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, she didn’t

Hirono would’ve just given another Democrat her proxy if necessary.

Proxy voting is not a thing in the Senate (at least on the floor).

I’m pretty sure it is (it definitely was in the 1950s, at the very least) and even if it no longer is, Hirono would’ve been there if we needed her vote or they’d have held it on a day she could be there.

[Person Man]

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, she didn’t

Hirono would’ve just given another Democrat her proxy if necessary.

Proxy voting is not a thing in the Senate (at least on the floor).

They couldn't have waited?

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

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, she didn’t

Hirono would’ve just given another Democrat her proxy if necessary.

Proxy voting is not a thing in the Senate (at least on the floor).

They couldn't have waited?

Sure, but unless Hirono's going to be back quickly, Schumer would have had to wait until after the Easter Recess.
Also it might have required repeating some steps again since the GOP might have objected to a UC request to extend post cloture debate, meaning Schumer would have to file a motion to reconsider and then invoke Cloture again.

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, she didn’t

Hirono would’ve just given another Democrat her proxy if necessary.

Proxy voting is not a thing in the Senate (at least on the floor).

I’m pretty sure it is (it definitely was in the 1950s, at the very least) and even if it no longer is, Hirono would’ve been there if we needed her vote or they’d have held it on a day she could be there.

So you referred to a Senate rule from 70 years ago to make your point? LOL

In the modern day, proxy voting is only a thing in committees as far as the Senate is concerned: https://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/proxy_voting.htm

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

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, she didn’t

Hirono would’ve just given another Democrat her proxy if necessary.

Proxy voting is not a thing in the Senate (at least on the floor).

They couldn't have waited?

Sure, but unless Hirono's going to be back quickly, Schumer would have had to wait until after the Easter Recess.
Also it might have required repeating some steps again since the GOP might have objected to a UC request to extend post cloture debate, meaning Schumer would have to file a motion to reconsider and then invoke Cloture again.

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, she didn’t

Hirono would’ve just given another Democrat her proxy if necessary.

Proxy voting is not a thing in the Senate (at least on the floor).

I’m pretty sure it is (it definitely was in the 1950s, at the very least) and even if it no longer is, Hirono would’ve been there if we needed her vote or they’d have held it on a day she could be there.

So you referred to a Senate rule from 70 years ago to make your point? LOL

In the modern day, proxy voting is only a thing in committees as far as the Senate is concerned: https://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/proxy_voting.htm

They would’ve waited to even hold the cloture vote in the first place if they weren’t 100% certain they had the votes  

[emailking]

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.