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."
By CONGRESSDAILY STAFF
In Cabinet confirmation hearings today, Lisa Jackson pledged a focus on science at the Environmental Protection Agency, Agriculture pick Tom Vilsack said nutrition would play a role in health care reform, and Eric Shinseki said he would work to transform Veterans Affairs into a "21st-century organization."
Jackson, the head of New Jersey's environmental protection agency, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that "science must be the backbone of what EPA does." Her remarks overjoyed committee Democrats, who have been battling with current EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson over regulatory issues that they said were influenced more by interest groups than scientific findings. Sens. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the panel's ranking member, and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, stoutly defended Johnson but indicated they will not stand in the way of Jackson's confirmation. Jackson also promised committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., that she would promptly review California's request for authority to set clean-air standards that are stricter than the EPA's. Under President Bush, the EPA had denied these requests.
Vilsack -- who as Agriculture secretary would be in charge of food stamps, school breakfast and lunch funding, and programs to help pregnant women and newborns -- told the Senate Agriculture Committee he would "make a serious effort to market good eating habits as a way of helping your country." He said he has agreed to work with Health and Human Services nominee Tom Daschle toward this goal. A strong government push on nutrition could set off bitter lobbying battles among farm groups, but as Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin noted, child nutrition is the only program the Agriculture Committee must reauthorize in 2009. Harkin, a fellow Iowa Democrat, said the committee is likely to approve Vilsack's appointment unanimously; the full Senate is scheduled to vote on Inauguration Day.
Shinseki, who helped begin a massive Army transformation effort when he served as the service's chief of staff between 1999 and 2003, said he expects to face similar challenges modernizing the VA. "Leadership, commitment and teamwork enable the challenges of transformation to become opportunities to innovate and better serve our veterans," Shinseki told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. In the near term, Shinseki said he would work to craft a "credible and accurate" FY10 budget during his first 90 days in office, focus on clearing the department's backlog of medical claims and work with Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ensure a seamless transition for troops leaving the military and entering the VA.
In other confirmation developments, Treasury pick Timothy Geithner's hearing has been rescheduled for Jan. 21 after GOP senators blocked his unanimous consent request to hold it on Friday. Reports that Geithner failed to pay self-employment taxes when he worked at the International Monetary Fund several years ago threw his nomination into doubt Tuesday. Geithner also faces questions about the immigration status of a former housekeeper. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., reiterated that he thought Geithner would still be confirmed despite his missteps: "This was an honest mistake."
By BOB BREWIN, Government Executive
(Credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee plans to hold a hearing on the presumptive nomination of former Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki for VA secretary. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, chairman of the committee, says he will hold the hearing on Jan. 14, 2009, six days before Barack Obama is sworn in as the nation's 44th president.
Akaka said he decided to hold the hearing on Shinseki, a Hawaii native, before Inauguration Day, so the Senate can act on his nomination as soon as it is received, potentially the afternoon of Jan. 20. This may just set a new speed record for confirmations, which tend to move through the Senate at a glacial pace.
Akaka met with Shinseki on Dec. 10 and told him he considered mental health care a priority. "VA needs more doctors trained to treat invisible wounds such as post-traumatic stress disorder," Akaka said.
Military analysts, senators and other commentators approve of Barack Obama selecting Gen. Eric Shinseki to head Veterans Affairs -- but argue that the challenges he faces are formidable.
By AMY HARDER
News of retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki's nomination for Veterans Affairs secretary has drawn mostly cheers from veterans groups and Congress.
"We're very excited that this type of change is going to be effective at the VA, specifically having someone who will do the right things," said Todd Bowers, director of government affairs at the nonpartisan veterans group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "Someone who won't put politics ahead of patriotism."
President-elect Barack Obama made the announcement in Chicago on Sunday, the 67th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Harking back to World War II, Obama said that when "those troops came home to a grateful nation," they had support in the form of the GI Bill and "a chance to live out in peace the dreams they had fought for, and so many died for, on the battlefield." He used the same theme of commitment to veterans in introducing Shinseki.
As Army chief of staff, Shinseki clashed with the Bush administration on its Iraq war strategy, specifically telling Congress before the war began that stabilizing Iraq would require hundreds of thousands of troops. Veterans groups say that this prediction helps show how Shinseki will ensure veterans are well represented by the VA.
"He always made bold decisions, well-defined assumptions and had an understanding of the issues," Bowers said, citing Shinseki's testimony to Congress prior to the Iraq war.
Obama himself said Shinseki was "right" about needing more troops on "Meet The Press" this weekend. When Obama announced Shinseki on Sunday, he highlighted the courage the 66-year-old Army veteran showed during his time in the military. "No one will ever doubt that this former Army chief of staff has the courage to stand up for our troops and our veterans," Obama said. "No one will ever question whether he will fight hard enough to make sure they have the support they need."
Will Shinseki's knowledge and expertise on the Iraq war prompt Obama to seek his advice on military issues outside of Veterans Affairs? Bowers didn't think so. "He's always had a reputation to be a quiet, reserved officer," Bowers said. "He's very committed to the chain of command and the way that that structure is established." He added that Shinseki's time in the military will help strengthen the communication between the Pentagon and the VA.
Bowers said that one of Shinseki's top priorities as VA secretary will be to implement the new GI Bill, which passed Congress this summer and offers more education benefits for veterans. "Him having been in the service and extremely educated, he will see that the program get implemented by the Aug. 1 deadline," Bower said.
One common trend emerging from many pro-Obama veterans groups, such as VoteVets.org and the American Federation of Government Employees, is praise that Obama is taking a step away from the veterans policies the groups reproached during the current administration. In a statement, the AFGE said that this appointment "represents a clear break from the past eight years in which the Bush Administration sought to dismantle the VA through the use of fee-basis contract care and undercut the agency by continually understaffing and underfunding the agency." Brandon Friedman, vice chairman of VoteVets.org, commends Shinseki for "always think[ing] ahead to what needs may be down the road," and not being "afraid to strongly speak his mind to the president of the United States."
Continue reading Shinseki Garners Widespread Praise As VA Pick.
