Six in Cabinet OK’d; Clinton Waits

Daily News Article   —   Posted on January 21, 2009

(by David R. Sands, WashingtonTimes.com) – The Democrat-dominated Senate Tuesday unanimously approved the first six members of President Obama’s Cabinet just hours after he was sworn in, but … a key Republican senator’s skepticism Tuesday about approving Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state meant she had to wait at least another day to formally join Mr. Obama’s administration.

In a welcoming present for the new Democratic chief executive, Senate leaders agreed to waive votes and confirm unanimously six of Mr. Obama’s Cabinet choices: physicist Steven Chu as energy secretary; Arne Duncan as secretary of education; Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as head of the Department of Homeland Security; former Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as interior secretary; retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs; former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary. It also approved Congressional Budget Office chief Peter R. Orszag to run the Office of Management and Budget.

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Regarding Mrs. Clinton’s nomination, Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, said the Senate needed more information about how former President Bill Clinton’s international foundation could affect his wife’s role as the country’s top diplomat.

Mr. Cornyn is one of several Republicans who have raised questions about the business and charitable dealings of Mr. Clinton and his foundation.

“Transparency transcends partisan politics, and the American people deserve to know more,” said Mr. Cornyn.

Mrs. Clinton was endorsed last week by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a 16-1 vote, and her ultimate confirmation is still considered highly likely. She released a five-page disclosure program to Mr. Obama upon accepting the nomination and has insisted her husband’s business and charitable links will not affect her job.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, agreed on Tuesday to a three-hour floor debate Wednesday followed by a vote on Mrs. Clinton’s nomination in the afternoon.

For a brief moment Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, held over from the Bush administration, was the only official member of the new Democratic president’s Cabinet before the seven appointees were approved.

In one of his very first official acts as president, Mr. Obama signed the official nominating papers for his Cabinet selections inside the Capitol shortly after being sworn in, joking as he signed that he was left-handed and people should “get used to it.”

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Two other key Cabinet picks have not even had a Senate floor vote scheduled.

While Mr. Obama’s Cabinet picks are expected to secure relatively quick approval, there have also been some personnel hiccups that have marred the new president’s generally well-reviewed transition.

Mr. Obama has yet to name a replacement for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as secretary of commerce. The governor, who also briefly vied for the Democratic presidential nomination against Mr. Obama, withdrew from consideration earlier this month to deal with a grand-jury investigation into corruption in his home state.

Timothy F. Geithner, the New York Federal Reserve Bank president tapped to be Treasury secretary, had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee delayed last week after reports surfaced of irregularities in the nominee’s tax records over several years. The hearing will be held Wednesday, and Mr. Geithner is expected to eventually be confirmed, assuming no new embarrassing revelations come to light.

Former Sen. Tom Daschle, South Dakota Democrat, is also expected to be easily confirmed as secretary of health and human services. However, having appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Mr. Daschle still must go before the Senate Finance Committee before he will be officially confirmed.

The committee also meets Wednesday to approve the nomination of Rep. Hilda L. Solis, California Democrat, as labor secretary, although some committee Republicans have grumbled about the vagueness of Mrs. Solis’ answers during her hearing.

Despite the praise for Mr. Obama’s transition effort and the backing of a Democratic-dominated Senate, the confirmation process is not proving noticeably faster than past administrations.

According to a survey by Congressional Quarterly, President Reagan had 12 of his 14 Cabinet picks approved two days after he took office, and President Clinton had 13 of the 15 main posts within a day of his inauguration. President Bush saw seven of his nominees approved by the Senate the day he was sworn in and his entire Cabinet in place 11 days later.

• Sean Lengell contributed to this article.

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