Dems On Nominees: ‘We Owe Deference To A President’
‘Our Role Is Not To Substitute Our Judgment For The President’
FLASHBACK: President Barack Obama – Original 2009 Cabinet Nominations
The Cabinet includes the Vice President, and the heads of fifteen executive departments subject to Senate confirmation. There are also an additional seven Cabinet-ranked officials, six of whom are Senate confirmed. (The White House Chief of Staff is not).
Regarding President Obama’s first-term Cabinet members:
- Seven were confirmed on January 20, 2009, the day he was sworn into office. These were 1) Ken Salazar (Interior), 2) Tom Vilsack (Agriculture), 3) Steven Chu (Energy), 4) Arne Duncan (Education), 5) Eric Shinseki (Veterans Affairs), 6) Janet Napolitano (Homeland Security), and 7) Peter Orzag (OMB Director). Five more were confirmed by the end of the first week.
- Thirteen were confirmed by voice vote. These were 1) Ken Salazar (Interior), 2) Tom Vilsack (Agriculture), 3) Shaun Donovan (HUD), 4) Ray LaHood (Transportation), 5) Steven Chu (Energy), 6) Arne Duncan (Education), 7) Eric Shinseki (Veterans Affairs), 8) Janet Napolitano (Homeland Security), 9) Lisa Jackson (EPA), 10) Peter Orzag (OMB), 11) Susan Rice (UN Ambassador, 12) Christina Romer (Council of Economic Advisers), and 13) Karen Mills (Small Business Administration)
- No cloture votes were taken.
|
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT |
Nominee |
Nomination Announced |
Committee Consideration |
Date Confirmed |
Vote |
|
State |
Hillary Clinton |
12/01/2008 |
1/13/2009 |
1/21/2009 |
94-2 (39 Rs) |
|
Treasury |
Tim Geithner |
11/24/2008 |
1/21/2009 |
1/26/2009 |
60-34 (10 Rs) |
|
Defense |
Bob Gates1 |
12/01/2008 |
NA |
12/06/2006 |
NA |
|
Justice |
Eric Holder |
12/01/2008 |
1/15/2009 |
2/02/2009 |
75-21 (19 Rs) |
|
Interior |
Ken Salazar |
12/17/2008 |
1/15/2009 |
1/20/2009 |
|
|
Agriculture |
Tom Vilsack |
12/17/2008 |
1/14/2009 |
1/20/2009 |
|
|
Commerce |
Bill Richardson2 |
12/03/2008 |
Withdrew |
Withdrew |
NA |
|
Labor |
Hilda Solis |
12/19/2008 |
1/09/2009 |
2/24/2009 |
80-17 (24 Rs) |
|
Health & Human Services |
Tom Daschle3 |
12/11/2008 |
NA |
Withdrew |
NA |
|
Housing & Urban Development |
Shaun Donovan |
12/13/2008 |
1/13/2009 |
1/22/2009 |
|
|
Transportation |
Ray LaHood |
12/19/2008 |
1/21/2009 |
1/22/2009 |
|
|
Energy |
Steven Chu |
12/11/2008 |
1/13/2009 |
1/20/2009 |
|
|
Education |
Arne Duncan |
12/15/2008 |
1/13/2009 |
1/20/2009 |
|
|
Veterans Affairs |
Eric Shinseki |
12/07/2008 |
1/14/2009 |
1/20/2009 |
|
|
Homeland Security |
Janet Napolitano |
12/01/2008 |
1/15/2009 |
1/20/2009 |
|
CABINET LEVEL RANK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPA Administrator |
Lisa Jackson |
12/15/2008 |
1/14/2009 |
1/22/2009 |
|
|
OMB Director |
Peter Orzag |
11/25/2008 |
1/13/2009 |
1/20/2009 |
|
|
U.S. Trade Representative |
Ron Kirk |
12/19/2008 |
3/09/2009 |
3/18/2009 |
92-5 (38 Rs) |
|
UN Ambassador |
Susan Rice |
12/01/2008 |
1/15/2009 |
1/22/2009 |
|
|
Council of Economic Advisers Chairman |
Christina Romer |
11/24/2008 |
1/28/2009 |
1/28/2009 |
|
|
SBA Administrator |
Karen Mills |
12/19/2008 |
4/1/2009 |
4/3/2009 |
|
NOTES:
- Bob Gates remained in office after being confirmed under the Bush administration
- Bill Richardson withdrew from consideration and Gary Locke was eventually confirmed 3/24/2009.
- Tom Daschle withdrew from consideration and Kathleen Sebelius was eventually confirmed on 4/28/2009.
Top Senate Dem On Nominees: ‘We Owe Deference To A President’
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “We have a moral obligation, even beyond the economy and politics, to avoid gridlock and get the country to work again... We have to get things done.” (“Schumer Sees Path To Senate Tax Deal With Clinton In White House,” Bloomberg Politics, 11/07/2016)
SEN TIM KAINE (D-VA): “I think we owe deference to a president for choices to executive positions, and I think that that is a very important thing to grapple with. The American public choose someone to be president, they're giving that individual a mandate to govern, and that mandate includes the assembly of the team that the president feels is the appropriate team. …I approach any executive nomination with that in mind.” (U.S. Senate, Armed Services Committee, Hearing, 2/12/13)
SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): “…I think our role is not to substitute our judgment for the president, not to say this is who we would have necessarily hired. But the deference goes to the president to build his team.” (U.S. Senate, Armed Services Committee, Hearing, 2/12/13)
SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO): “I am worried about the willingness of other Americans to put their hand up and say ‘Let me serve’ for fear that they will get caught in the crazy politics of the Senate.” (Sen. Bennet, Congressional Record, S.1647, 3/19/2015)
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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
Related Issues: Senate Democrats, Nominations, Back to Work
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