Avril Haines was quickly confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday as the director of national intelligence (DNI) in a 84-10 vote.
Why it matters: Haines is the first nominee from President Biden to receive full confirmation from the Senate and will be the first woman to serve as DNI. She has served as deputy director of the CIA from 2013 to 2015 and deputy national security adviser from 2015 to 2017.
- Among other commitments, Haines pledged to conduct a public assessment of the threat posed by the QAnon conspiracy theory to American security.
- She also pledged to release the disqualified report on the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the Trump administration previously denied.
- Haines will also have the task of restoring confidence in the intelligence community.
The big picture: Confirmation came just hours after Democrats regained a majority in the Senate. Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) And Alex Padilla (D-Ca.) Took office on Wednesday afternoon.
- The Senate division is now 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris presiding as the tiebreaker.
What to watch: Treasury secretary nominee Janet Yellen is expected to be another priority for confirmations, with much of the responsibility for COVID-19’s economic stimulus falling on the Treasury.
- The vote is also expected tomorrow on whether to grant a resignation to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s nominee to serve in the role.
- Austin needs the exemption because he hasn’t left the military for more than seven years.