The first was supposed to be done today for Biden’s Director of National Intelligence… Avril Haines.
The reason given by one Republican senator was the sit-down would be on-line not in person, which of course is bull shit….
I assume the message here is wait until Biden is sworn in and and Schumer is the Majority Leader, eh?
The Senate Intelligence Committee announced late Thursday night that it would postpone Friday’s confirmation hearing for President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to be the next director of national intelligence, Avril Haines.
One congressional source said the delay was due to a committee Republican objecting to holding the session virtually….
…
The DNI “plays a crucial role in overseeing the 18 agencies that make up our nation’s Intelligence Community, and the committee looks forward to holding a hearing next week with Ms. Haines,” they added.
It was not immediately clear if the session will be rescheduled before or after next Wednesday’s inauguration.
Key context: Haines’ confirmation hearing was supposed to be the first for Biden’s Cabinet. Instead, Haines joins a slew of other national security picks still awaiting their chance to appear on Capitol Hill, including the proposed leaders of DHS, the State Department and the Pentagon….
President-elect Joe Biden is on track to take office without key Cabinet members being confirmed on the day of his inauguration, a result of the Republican-led Senate moving much more slowly to schedule confirmation hearings and votes than it has for previous presidents.
The timeline for confirming Biden’s Cabinet nominees could accelerate when Democrats take control of the Senate in the coming days. But Republicans, amid the coronavirus pandemic and the Capitol riots, have been slow to schedule confirmation hearings….
…
The early days of Biden’s administration will see a collision in Congress of the Senate’s trial of outgoing President Donald Trump, the process of confirming Biden’s nominees and talks over Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus vaccine and economic stimulus proposal.
With Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer set to replace Republican Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader following Biden’s swearing-in and the swearing-in of two Georgia Democrats who won runoffs there this month — making Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote in a Senate split 50-50 — the confirmation schedule could accelerate.
Biden officials are pressing for the Senate to operate on multiple tracks at once, holding confirmation hearings during Trump’s impeachment trial. In a briefing with reporters Friday evening, Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki pointed to Trump’s first impeachment, noting that the Senate held unrelated hearings during that trial….
More…