Ballotpedia's Daily Transition Tracker - January 26, 2021

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January 26, 2021

Gina Raimondo will appear before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Tuesday.

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Welcome to Ballotpedia's Transition Tracker

January 26, 2021

President Joe Biden (D) and his team have been preparing for the transition between presidential administrations since the election, including selecting senior White House staff and appointees to top government positions.

In 2020, there were 1,472 government positions subject to presidential appointment: 1,118 positions required Senate confirmation and 354 did not. The new administration is also responsible for filling thousands of other positions across the federal government, including in operations and policy. Every weekday, Ballotpedia is tracking potential Cabinet nominees, appointments, and news related to the Biden administration.

 

 

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• The Senate confirmed Janet Yellen for secretary of the Treasury on Monday by a vote of 84-15. All 15 senators who voted against her confirmation were Republicans. She is the first woman to serve in this position.

• The Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued a favorable report of Tony Blinken for secretary of state by a vote of 15-3 on Monday. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) opposed Blinken’s nomination. The full Senate vote is expected to take place on Tuesday at noon.

• One committee hearing is scheduled for Tuesday: Gina Raimondo, nominee for secretary of commerce, will appear before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

• On Tuesday, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will take a vote on the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas for secretary of homeland security.

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News

• Biden signed an executive order on Monday directing federal agencies to purchase American-made goods and services where possible. He instructed the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to make recommendations to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to further this goal within 180 days.

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Transition in Context: Pace of Confirmations

The following chart compares the pace of Senate confirmations for the main 15 Cabinet positions following the inaugurations of Presidents Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D).

Six days after their respective inaugurations, both Trump and Biden had two main Cabinet members confirmed.

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What We're Reading

• The Economist: Why an American president’s first 100 days matter
• FiveThirtyEight: The Five Blocs In Congress To Watch In Biden’s Washington 
• Politico: The White House power map

 

 

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