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

[BudgieForce]

Cardona's confirmation is now being intensified as Cardona has defended the CT policy for transgender girls to compete in girls sports.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/02/03/rand-paul-repeatedly-questions-education-nominee-on-boys-competing-with-girls-in-sports/?sh=13dd3d714031


Personally  I don't really have much here.

I can't imagine any other potential education secretary that Biden might have picked would have given a different answer.

[Torrain]

This could be the closest vote although it will still certainly pass.

If I recall, Education Secretary was also the closest nomination fight in the Trump administration. Murkowski and Collins broke ranks and voted no, leaving Pence to break the 50-50 tie - the first Cabinet tiebreaker vote in history if I remember correctly.

Any indication it's heading in that direction, or will Cardona end up picking up enough GOP support to get through comfortably?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

This could be the closest vote although it will still certainly pass.

If I recall, Education Secretary was also the closest nomination fight in the Trump administration. Murkowski and Collins broke ranks and voted no, leaving Pence to break the 50-50 tie - the first Cabinet tiebreaker vote in history if I remember correctly.

Any indication it's heading in that direction, or will Cardona end up picking up enough GOP support to get through comfortably?

Cardona will be confirmed.  If nothing else, Murkowski and Collins will vote for him.  It's an easy #ModerateHero vote.

[lfromnj]

This could be the closest vote although it will still certainly pass.

If I recall, Education Secretary was also the closest nomination fight in the Trump administration. Murkowski and Collins broke ranks and voted no, leaving Pence to break the 50-50 tie - the first Cabinet tiebreaker vote in history if I remember correctly.

Any indication it's heading in that direction, or will Cardona end up picking up enough GOP support to get through comfortably?

No theres still a pretty decent chance he gets through at the usual 85-15, just found this interesting.

And yes Devos sadly was the most opposed due to the hate teacher unions have for her

[Torrain]

This could be the closest vote although it will still certainly pass.

If I recall, Education Secretary was also the closest nomination fight in the Trump administration. Murkowski and Collins broke ranks and voted no, leaving Pence to break the 50-50 tie - the first Cabinet tiebreaker vote in history if I remember correctly.

Any indication it's heading in that direction, or will Cardona end up picking up enough GOP support to get through comfortably?

No theres still a pretty decent chance he gets through at the usual 85-15, just found this interesting.

And yes Devos sadly was the most opposed due to the hate teacher unions have for her

Makes sense - I can never predict when these things are going to erupt into culture-war flashpoints, and when they'll just fade away.

Interesting to see this topic getting airtime though - given how many  midterm strategies come down to moral (or economic) panic, part of me wonders whether this is a preview for next year.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

This could be the closest vote although it will still certainly pass.

If I recall, Education Secretary was also the closest nomination fight in the Trump administration. Murkowski and Collins broke ranks and voted no, leaving Pence to break the 50-50 tie - the first Cabinet tiebreaker vote in history if I remember correctly.

Any indication it's heading in that direction, or will Cardona end up picking up enough GOP support to get through comfortably?

No theres still a pretty decent chance he gets through at the usual 85-15, just found this interesting.

And yes Devos sadly was the most opposed due to the hate teacher unions have for her

Makes sense - I can never predict when these things are going to erupt into culture-war flashpoints, and when they'll just fade away.

Interesting to see this topic getting airtime though - given how many  midterm strategies come down to moral (or economic) panic, part of me wonders whether this is a preview for next year.

I mean, IIRC Romney is extremely transphobic even by Republican standards, so I'm not surprised to see him whining about Cardona.

[Torrain]

This could be the closest vote although it will still certainly pass.

If I recall, Education Secretary was also the closest nomination fight in the Trump administration. Murkowski and Collins broke ranks and voted no, leaving Pence to break the 50-50 tie - the first Cabinet tiebreaker vote in history if I remember correctly.

Any indication it's heading in that direction, or will Cardona end up picking up enough GOP support to get through comfortably?

No theres still a pretty decent chance he gets through at the usual 85-15, just found this interesting.

And yes Devos sadly was the most opposed due to the hate teacher unions have for her

Makes sense - I can never predict when these things are going to erupt into culture-war flashpoints, and when they'll just fade away.

Interesting to see this topic getting airtime though - given how many  midterm strategies come down to moral (or economic) panic, part of me wonders whether this is a preview for next year.

I mean, IIRC Romney is extremely transphobic even by Republican standards, so I'm not surprised to see him whining about Cardona.

Huh, I guess that tracks (given he's a conservative Mormon of a certain age), but it's not something I've seen any coverage on. Discussions of Romney's positions tend to focus on Trump, the economy and healthcare (given the Romneycare situation).

Honestly, if prompted, I would have assumed he'd be more centrist, given he was elected statewide in MA (although I appreciate that a lot has changed in the intervening years, and that even Mass was probably pretty conservative on this kinda stuff 15 years ago).

[GALeftist]

The whole women's sports thing is thornier than people often make it out to be, especially because, if you insist on sex-based categories for sports, what of trans men who have been taking hormones? Would they not have an unfair advantage over cis women?

I don't have the answer, but my hot take is that men and women as sports categories is fast becoming antiquated and that we should find some sort of objective measure of athletic capacity and divide the categories based on such a measurement. But yeah, Cardona will be confirmed easily is my prediction, probably won't even need Kamala's vote.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

The whole women's sports thing is thornier than people often make it out to be, especially because, if you insist on sex-based categories for sports, what of trans men who have been taking hormones? Would they not have an unfair advantage over cis women?

I don't have the answer, but my hot take is that men and women as sports categories is fast becoming antiquated and that we should find some sort of objective measure of athletic capacity and divide the categories based on such a measurement. But yeah, Cardona will be confirmed easily is my prediction, probably won't even need Kamala's vote.

I strongly disagree with that statement. Men and women's sports MUST be kept separate.

This issue is complicated but also a losing issue for Democrats and other people on the left.

[GALeftist]

The whole women's sports thing is thornier than people often make it out to be, especially because, if you insist on sex-based categories for sports, what of trans men who have been taking hormones? Would they not have an unfair advantage over cis women?

I don't have the answer, but my hot take is that men and women as sports categories is fast becoming antiquated and that we should find some sort of objective measure of athletic capacity and divide the categories based on such a measurement. But yeah, Cardona will be confirmed easily is my prediction, probably won't even need Kamala's vote.

I strongly disagree with that statement. Men and women's sports MUST be kept separate.

May I ask why you feel that way so strongly?

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

The whole women's sports thing is thornier than people often make it out to be, especially because, if you insist on sex-based categories for sports, what of trans men who have been taking hormones? Would they not have an unfair advantage over cis women?

I don't have the answer, but my hot take is that men and women as sports categories is fast becoming antiquated and that we should find some sort of objective measure of athletic capacity and divide the categories based on such a measurement. But yeah, Cardona will be confirmed easily is my prediction, probably won't even need Kamala's vote.

I strongly disagree with that statement. Men and women's sports MUST be kept separate.

May I ask why you feel that way so strongly?

There are biological differences between men and women. Trans women were born biologically as males. Though, many trans women have transitioned and take hormones, when it comes to sports - trans women will GENERALLY have an advantage over non-trans women.

Anyways, this isn't the topic of this thread. So I'll leave it there.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

The whole women's sports thing is thornier than people often make it out to be, especially because, if you insist on sex-based categories for sports, what of trans men who have been taking hormones? Would they not have an unfair advantage over cis women?

I don't have the answer, but my hot take is that men and women as sports categories is fast becoming antiquated and that we should find some sort of objective measure of athletic capacity and divide the categories based on such a measurement. But yeah, Cardona will be confirmed easily is my prediction, probably won't even need Kamala's vote.

I strongly disagree with that statement. Men and women's sports MUST be kept separate.

May I ask why you feel that way so strongly?

Because, on average, women will have no chance of winning anything.

[AndyHogan14]

UPDATED SCHEDULE:
February 4
10:00am • Walsh (hearing)
10:00am • Thomas-Greenfield (vote)
2:00pm • Fudge/Rouse (vote)

February 9
9:15am • Tanden (hearing; HSGAC)

Also, we have one new hearing added:

February 10
9:15am • Tanden (hearing; Budget)

Raimondo and Granholm have cleared committee so they, along with Vilsack and McDonough are now just awaiting their full Senate vote. I would assume Schumer will schedule a vote before the end of the week or early next week, but we will see.

***

Confirmed
Blinken, Yellen, Austin, Buttigieg, Mayorkas, Haines

Awaiting Full Senate Vote
Vilsack (TBA), Raimondo (TBA), Granholm (TBA), McDonough (TBA)

Awaiting Committee Vote
Thomas-Greenfield (2/4), Fudge (2/4), Rouse (2/4), Cardona (TBA), Guzman (TBA), Regan (TBA)

Awaiting Committee Hearing
Walsh (2/4), Tanden (2/9-10)

Committee Hearings Not Yet Scheduled
Garland, Haaland, Becerra, Tai, Lander

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

I don't have the answer, but my hot take is that men and women as sports categories is fast becoming antiquated and that we should find some sort of objective measure of athletic capacity and divide the categories based on such a measurement. But yeah, Cardona will be confirmed easily is my prediction, probably won't even need Kamala's vote.

Women have no chance of competing with men in sports. Men are far, far superior in almost every single sport. Women deserve the right to competition through sport so there needs to be two separate categories.

I'm going to be real... you sound like someone with 0 knowledge about sports if you'd even suggest anything like this.

[Horus]

I don't have the answer, but my hot take is that men and women as sports categories is fast becoming antiquated and that we should find some sort of objective measure of athletic capacity and divide the categories based on such a measurement. But yeah, Cardona will be confirmed easily is my prediction, probably won't even need Kamala's vote.

Women have no chance of competing with men in sports. Men are far, far superior in almost every single sport. Women deserve the right to competition through sport so there needs to be two separate categories.

I'm going to be real... you sound like someone with 0 knowledge about sports if you'd even suggest anything like this.

Billiards, bowling and chess should be coed. Beyond that, you're correct.

[South Dakota Democrat]

This could be the closest vote although it will still certainly pass.

If I recall, Education Secretary was also the closest nomination fight in the Trump administration. Murkowski and Collins broke ranks and voted no, leaving Pence to break the 50-50 tie - the first Cabinet tiebreaker vote in history if I remember correctly.

Any indication it's heading in that direction, or will Cardona end up picking up enough GOP support to get through comfortably?

No theres still a pretty decent chance he gets through at the usual 85-15, just found this interesting.

And yes Devos sadly was the most opposed due to the hate teacher unions have for her

She knew nothing about public education.

[Bootes Void]

Transwomen should be banned from participating in women's sports but yeah I think Cardona will likely get confirmed

[GALeftist]

For the record, I don't think women's sports are sexist or anything; in fact, just the opposite. It's true that without them women would not be able to compete and win, and I am glad that women's sports exist for that reason. However, my point about trans men who have been taking hormones still stands. If we say that everyone must compete exclusively with members of their own biological sex, then you have two options: ban trans men from competing altogether or watch them dominate "women's" sports due to their much higher testosterone. Surely this is just as bad as trans women dominating, no?

My suggestion was not about robbing women of women's sports; instead, it was shifting the focus to what really matters, which is athletic capability. In other words, the problem with trans women participating in women's sports is that they (in many cases, at least) have an inherently higher athletic capability than cis women, correct? I'm suggesting that we find some way to measure that athletic capability and cut out the middleman. That way, you're not excluding trans women from women's sports, you're just excluding someone whose athletic capability is too high for the category. I realize it's infinitely less intuitive than just dividing sports into men and women — and might not even be possible — but I do think that, as a thought experiment at least, it would include trans athletes, let cis women still win competitions, and provide for engaging contests.

This is all besides the point of the threat, though, so I'll leave it at that.

[AndyHogan14]

By the way, Granholm received a 13-4 vote while Raimondo received a 21-3 vote in committee.

[Blue3]

I was about to ask about the committee vote on Raimondo.


Does anyone know if the GOP still plans to block Haaland for Interior?

[brucejoel99]

Does anyone know if the GOP still plans to block Haaland for Interior?

Didn't even realize there was a GOP plan to block her. Not like it even matters anymore, though.

[Torrain]

Does anyone know if the GOP still plans to block Haaland for Interior?

Didn't even realize there was a GOP plan to block her. Not like it even matters anymore, though.

But now that Haaland could be on track for confirmation hearings to begin next month — perhaps as soon as next week — the fierce opposition is starting to make itself known.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who sits on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which will oversee Haaland's confirmation proceedings, appears ready to hold Haaland to account for the Biden administration's plans to stop issuing new leases for oil and gas drilling on federal lands.

"It won't hurt the people who are sitting around congratulating themselves on 'leave it in the ground' policies," Cassidy told E&E News. "It will hurt a family who was able to send their children to a better school, take a nice vacation in the summertime. ... It will destroy their livelihoods."

Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), who as a House member does not get a vote on whether Haaland is installed at the Interior Department or not, is nonetheless seeking to use his platform to call attention to what he says are worrisome elements of her record.

"The nomination of Representative Haaland as Interior Secretary embodies clear support for the Green New Deal and a rejection of even the potential of high-wage jobs," Stauber wrote yesterday in a letter to Biden co-signed by 14 fellow House Republicans.

The members added, "We implore you in the strongest terms to withdraw [her] nomination ... and instead nominate a consensus-driven individual who will not implement policies that will kill jobs and increase the country's reliance on foreign adversaries."

https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063723619

Sen. Cassidy is angry that the Secretary of the Interior might prioritise national parks over oil drilling.

[emailking]

Barring some big revelation, the Dems should muscle through Haaland and Tanden if any serious opposition is put up.

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

Barring some big revelation, the Dems should muscle through Haaland and Tanden if any serious opposition is put up.

They will.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Barring some big revelation, the Dems should muscle through Haaland and Tanden if any serious opposition is put up.

They will.

This.  Also, Haaland and (to a somewhat lesser degree) Becerra were always going to be the most contentious picks.  Tanden might not have been confirmed by a Republican Senate, but I don’t think Republicans are as invested in opposing her.  They absolutely despise Haaland though, that’s for sure.  

Again though, staffing DOJ should be the top priority right now Re: Senate confirmations (along with confirming Becerra, William Burns, and Vivek Murthy when there’s time).  Tbh, I don’t think they should hold a final vote on Fudge or Haaland until after the COVID relief bill is passed, lest we risk further trimming our margin in the House. 

Those will be two vacant Safe D seats (in addition to Richmond’s which won’t be filled till late April) and we need all hands on deck for reconciliation in case some random member of the Problem Starters Caucus decides to make trouble by trying to delay or water down the bill at the last minute in order to do some #ModerateHero grandstanding.  I’d rather start filling judgeships, the DOJ leadership, US Attorney’s offices (at least for the main one like DC, the various NY districts, as well as replacing the worst Trump cronies, etc), and important Health and NatSec-related vacancies.  All of these are more pressing to get done before the next recess.

We gotta get moving on this stuff ASAP (unless the rules allow Schumer to unilaterally delay *and* shorten the next recess, at a minimum, the Senate needs to work on Saturdays and Friday evenings either way instead of calling it a day at like 2:00 on Fridays).