Mayorkas is the first Biden nominee who has met a Republican filibuster, and his affirmation vote comes after the Senate voted Thursday to interrupt a GOP filibuster and advance the nomination.
Biden’s nomination of Buttigieg to be his transportation secretary will elevate the earlier South Bend, Indiana, mayor and 2022 Democratic primary candidate to a first-rate submit inside the federal authorities. Buttigieg could be the first Senate-confirmed LGBTQ cabinet secretary.
The choice vaults a candidate Biden spoke glowingly of after the primary proper into a first-rate job in his incoming administration and will earn buttigieg what many Democrats think about is required experience ought to he run for president as soon as extra.
The operate of transportation secretary is predicted to play a central operate in Biden’s push for a bipartisan infrastructure bundle.
Beneath former President Barack Obama, Mayorkas served as every the Homeland Security deputy secretary and the director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Suppliers, an immigration firm contained in the division.
Republican pushback to his nomination sparked criticism from Democrats, with some calling it indefensible. The resistance come as a result of the Division of Homeland Security grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, nationwide questions of safety and immigration.
The division has been with no Senate-confirmed chief since Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was ousted in spring 2019.
Quite a lot of Republican senators did, nonetheless, cross get collectively strains to vote with Democrats in assist of breaking the filibuster of the nomination, along with Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.
Utilizing the filibuster – to stall nominations or legal guidelines – has prolonged been a popular gadget of the minority get collectively, one factor Democrats did often when attempting to derail and delay the Republican agenda under then-President Donald Trump.
Whereas numerous of Biden’s nominees have been confirmed and have moved at a slower tempo than a number of of their predecessors’ cabinet picks, Republicans had not however threatened to filibuster a nominee until Wednesday. Mayorkas is now the first.
Nonetheless some Republicans referred to as for a separate listening to sooner than the Senate Judiciary Committee, alongside along with his listening to sooner than the Homeland Security Committee.
Quite a lot of GOP senators, led by Texas Sen. John Cornyn, referred to as for the additional listening to, citing Mayorkas’ operate overseeing plenty of the Biden administration’s immigration insurance coverage insurance policies.
“The Committee on the Judiciary has jurisdiction over points referring to immigration and nationality … For that purpose, all members of the committee ought to have the possibility to hear to from Mr. Mayorkas straight, and to publicly concentrate on with him his plans with respect to the Division’s immigration parts and capabilities, “a letter from the senators said making their request.
Cornyn suggested reporters ultimate week “there’s varied points” with the Mayorkas nomination.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who’s about to chair the Judiciary Committee, suggested KBN Info of the listening to request, “I don’t see why that’s obligatory” and referred to as it “utterly political.”
“That’s indefensible,” Durbin said. “We’re withholding the administration of the Division of Homeland Security.”
KBN Info’s Dan Merica contributed to this report.
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