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How senators voted on Biden Cabinet nominees, 2021
This page compares how U.S. senators voted on President Joe Biden's (D) nominees for Cabinet and Cabinet-rank positions in 2021.
Twenty-one nominees had been confirmed, as of March 22, 2021. The following senators have voted against most of Biden's nominees:
- Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) voted against 19 nominees.
- Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) voted against 18 nominees.
- Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) voted against 17 nominees.
- Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) voted against 15 nominees.
One Republican has supported all 21 of Biden's nominees so far:
- Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
One Democrat or independent who caucuses with the Democrats has voted against one nominee:
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
One of Biden's Cabinet nominees was supported by all 50 Republican senators: Katherine Tai for U.S. trade representative. One nominee was opposed by all but one Republican senator: Xavier Becerra for secretary of health and human services.
Overview
The following table summarizes how each U.S. senator has voted on Biden's Cabinet nominees in 2021. Click any of the header titles to sort the table by that element.
Percentage support by Republican senator
The following chart shows the range of percentage support among Republican senators for Biden's Cabinet nominees. Five senators supported 80% of Biden's nominees or more. Another five senators supported fewer than 20% of Biden's nominees. Hover over each dot to see the corresponding senator's name.
About the confirmation process
- See also: Appointment confirmation process
The confirmation process includes several rounds of investigation and review, beginning with the submission of a personal financial disclosure report and a background check. The nominee is then evaluated in a committee hearing, which allows for a close examination of the nominee and his or her views on public policy. Supporters and opponents of the nominee may also testify.[1]
Once committee hearings are closed, most committees have a set amount of time before a vote is taken on whether the nominee is reported to the Senate favorably, unfavorably, or without recommendation. The nomination will then go to the Senate floor for consideration. Once the nomination is considered by the Senate, unlimited debate is allowed until a majority of the Senate votes to invoke cloture and close debate. Following a vote of cloture, the Senate conducts a simple majority vote on whether to confirm, reject, or take no action on the nomination.[2]
Biden Cabinet nominees
The following table provides an overview of the confirmation hearings and committee and Senate votes for each of Biden's Cabinet and Cabinet-rank nominees.
| Overview of confirmation process for Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominee | Position | Announced | Senate committee | Confirmation hearing | Committee vote | Senate vote | Status |
| Tony Blinken | Secretary of State | November 23, 2020 | Foreign Relations | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (15-3) | 78-22 | Confirmed on January 26, 2021 |
| Janet Yellen | Secretary of the Treasury | November 30, 2020 | Finance | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (26-0) | 84-15 | Confirmed on January 25, 2021 |
| Lloyd Austin | Secretary of Defense | December 8, 2020 | Armed Services | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 93-2 | Confirmed on January 22, 2021 |
| Merrick Garland | Attorney General | January 7, 2021 | Judiciary | February 22-23, 2021 | Favorable (15-7) | 70-30 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021 |
| Debra Haaland | Secretary of the Interior | December 17, 2020 | Energy and Natural Resources | February 23-24, 2021 | Favorable (11-9) | 51-40 | Confirmed on March 15, 2021 |
| Tom Vilsack | Secretary of Agriculture | December 10, 2020 | Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | February 2, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 92-7 | Confirmed on February 23, 2021 |
| Gina Raimondo | Secretary of Commerce | January 7, 2021 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 26, 2021 | Favorable (21-3) | 84-15 | Confirmed on March 2, 2021 |
| Marty Walsh | Secretary of Labor | January 7, 2021 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 4, 2021 | Favorable (18-4) | 68-29 | Confirmed on March 22, 2021 |
| Julie Su | Secretary of Labor | February 28, 2023 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | April 20, 2023 | Favorable (11-10) | N/A | No vote taken |
| Xavier Becerra | Secretary of Health and Human Services | December 7, 2020 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions / Finance |
February 23, 2021 / February 24, 2021 | No recommendation (14-14) | 50-49 | Confirmed on March 18, 2021 |
| Marcia Fudge | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | December 10, 2020 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | January 28, 2021 | Favorable (17-7) | 66-34 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021 |
| Pete Buttigieg | Secretary of Transportation | December 15, 2020 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 21, 2021 | Favorable (21-3) | 86-13 | Confirmed on February 2, 2021 |
| Jennifer Granholm | Secretary of Energy | December 17, 2020 | Energy and Natural Resources | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (13-4) | 64-35 | Confirmed on February 25, 2021 |
| Miguel Cardona | Secretary of Education | December 22, 2020 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (17-5) | 64-33 | Confirmed on March 1, 2021 |
| Denis McDonough | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | December 10, 2020 | Veterans' Affairs | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (Unanimous) | 87-7 | Confirmed on February 8, 2021 |
| Alejandro Mayorkas | Secretary of Homeland Security | November 23, 2020 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (7-4) | 56-43 | Confirmed on February 2, 2021 |
| Katherine Tai | U.S. Trade Representative | December 10, 2020 | Finance | February 25, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 98-0 | Confirmed on March 17, 2021 |
| Avril Haines | Director of National Intelligence | November 23, 2020 | Intelligence (Select) | January 19, 2021 | N/A[3] | 84-10 | Confirmed on January 20, 2021 |
| Linda Thomas-Greenfield | U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | November 23, 2020 | Foreign Relations | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (18-4) | 78-20 | Confirmed on February 23, 2021 |
| Cecilia Rouse | Chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers | November 30, 2020 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | January 28, 2021 | Favorable (24-0) | 95-4 | Confirmed on March 2, 2021 |
| Jared Bernstein | Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers | February 14, 2023 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | April 18, 2023 | Favorable (12-11) | 50-49 | Confirmed on June 13, 2023 |
| Neera Tanden | Director of the Office of Management and Budget | November 30, 2020 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget | February 9, 2021 / February 10, 2021 | N/A | N/A | Withdrawn on March 2, 2021 |
| Shalanda Young | Director of the Office of Management and Budget | November 24, 2021 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget | February 1, 2022 / February 1, 2022 | Favorable (7-6) / Favorable (15-6) | 61-36 | Confirmed on March 15, 2022 |
| Michael Regan | Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | December 17, 2020 | Environment and Public Works | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (14-6) | 66-34 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021 |
| Isabel Guzman | Administrator of the Small Business Administration | January 7, 2021 | Small Business and Entrepreneurship | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (15-5) | 81-17 | Confirmed on March 16, 2021 |
| Eric Lander | Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | January 16, 2021 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | April 29, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | Voice Vote | Confirmed on May 28, 2021 |
| Arati Prabhakar | Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | June 21, 2022 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | July 20, 2022 | Favorable (15-13) | 56-40 | Confirmed on September 22, 2022 |
| William J. Burns[4] | Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | January 11, 2021 | Intelligence | February 24, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | Voice Vote | Confirmed on March 18, 2021 |
See also
- Joe Biden presidential transition
- Confirmation process for Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees
- Joe Biden's Cabinet
- Ballotpedia's Daily Transition Tracker
Footnotes
- ↑ CRS Report for Congress, "Senate Confirmation Process: An Overview," accessed July 24, 2013
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 4, 2019
- ↑ PBS, "Senate confirms Avril Haines as director of national intelligence," January 20, 2021
- ↑ At the time of Burns' confirmation, director of the Central Intelligence Agency was not a Cabinet-level position in the Biden administration. Biden elevated the position to Cabinet-level on July 21, 2023.
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