By ALEXIS SIMENDINGER
The Senate acted swiftly just hours after President Obama's inauguration ceremonies to confirm six of his Cabinet nominees as well as his budget director.
By unanimous consent, the Senate confirmed at 3:42 p.m. Tuesday the nominations of Obama's picks to lead the departments of Energy (Steven Chu), Education (Arne Duncan), Homeland Security (Janet Napolitano), Interior (Ken Salazar), Veterans Affairs (Eric Shinseki) and Agriculture (Tom Vilsack).
The Senate also confirmed Peter Orszag to be director of the Office of Management and Budget, a Cabinet-level post. With those seven approvals, Obama came close to matching President George W. Bush's record of moving seven of his nominees into their new posts in 2001 on the same afternoon he was sworn in.
Hillary Rodham Clinton's confirmation to be secretary of State was delayed by a day at the insistence of Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who requested a roll-call vote on her nomination. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Senate will have three hours to debate Clinton's appointment Wednesday before they vote Wednesday afternoon.
"I expect her to be easily confirmed," Cornyn conceded during an interview. But he explained that he wanted to deny Clinton unanimous-consent affirmation on Inauguration Day so he could use a floor vote to "air my concerns" that Bill and Hillary Clinton have not been "transparent enough" about President Clinton's foundation fundraising from foreign nationals. Cornyn wants the Clintons to do "more work" to eliminate conflicts of interest.
"If it doesn't get handled now, then it probably won't get handled, so it's important to talk about it," he told National Journal.
Cornyn said GOP senators may seek to place a hold on the confirmation of Eric Holder to be attorney general, once Holder wins approval from the Judiciary Committee, which could happen Wednesday. Such a hold would carry Senate consideration over into next week.
As he departed the Capitol Tuesday, Cornyn said he had spoken to Hillary Clinton about his concerns, and explained that he hoped to win changes in the disclosure agreement worked out between President Clinton and the government, because she is the nation's "top diplomat." The former first lady told Cornyn she had agreed to unusual disclosures and accountability measures to make her husband's transactions more visible, and that she hoped that any additional steps the Senate seeks would not be "specific to her," Cornyn said. Their conversations, he added, were "cool and civil. She understands the concerns."
President-elect Barack Obama's selection of Arne Duncan as Education secretary earned praise from pundits like Bill Bennett, who held the post under Ronald Reagan. But not everyone was convinced of Duncan's potential to carry out reforms.
By AMY HARDER
Chicago public schools CEO Arne Duncan, who was announced as secretary of Education-designate this morning, is already receiving plaudits from all sides of the education debate.
"Duncan has shown a genuine commitment to what we see as the essential priorities for an incoming education secretary," American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a statement today. "There may be times when we will differ, but we believe we will agree fully that America's students and teachers need an education secretary committed to focusing on real solutions for closing the achievement gap and providing every child with a rigorous, well-rounded education." Weingarten also cited Duncan's work with the Chicago Teachers' Union to implement reform programs into the city's schools. "We look forward to being a partner in that collaborative process on a national scale," she concluded.
D.C.'s own public schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee, who has clashed with Weingarten and the AFT over teachers' contracts, also praised the choice. In a statement sent to NationalJournal.com, Rhee said the appointment shows that President-elect Obama plans to make improving public education one of his top priorities. Arne has "been a successful leader of an urban public school district" and therefore "understands the challenges public education faces and he will run the department from the vantage point of ensuring that we see results at the ground level," Rhee said in the statement.
Hear more about what Rhee had to say about the Democratic Party's education agenda in NationalJournal.com's Insider Interviews.
By AMY HARDER
At a press conference today in Chicago, President-elect Obama named the city's public schools chief, Arne Duncan, as his choice to be the next secretary of Education. Obama touted Duncan's efforts to reform schools, rooted in his experience leading Chicago's school system for the last seven years. Duncan and Vice President-elect Joe Biden also spoke at the presser, which was held at the Dodge Renaissance Academy, a school that Obama said has improved dramatically under Duncan's leadership.
"When Arne speaks to educators across America, it won't be from up in some ivory tower, but from the lessons he's learned during his years changing our schools from the bottom up," Obama said, with Duncan standing nearby.
Obama also put to rest some "rumors" he said he'd heard floating around as to why he chose Duncan, a longtime basketball buddy, as his next Education secretary. "I did not select Arne because he's one of the best basketball players I know," Obama quipped. "But I will say that we're putting together the best basketball-playing Cabinet in American history. And I think that's worth noting."
To many in education, Obama's choice of leadership in this department represented a stark contrast: He could either choose someone like New York City Public School Chancellor Joel Klein, known for his reform efforts and views that differ greatly from teachers unions; or someone more traditional, like Obama's education transition chief, Linda Darling-Hammond. But many are already calling Duncan a middle-of-the-road pick -- a reformer who has kept in the good graces of the unions.
In his remarks, Obama touted some possible school reforms the federal government could implement, such as rewarding students who get good grades with money. "If pay-for-performance works, and we can work with teachers so they don't feel like it's being imposed on them... then that's something we can explore," Obama said. He mentioned the possibility of implementing charter schools on a more nationwide scale as well.
Continue reading Obama Takes Middle Path With Education Pick.
