The Senate confirmed Antony Blinken
Antony BlinkenBiden’s ‘adherence’ to Middle East stability is crucial The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Focus on vaccine, virus, travel US carrier group enters the South China Sea amid tensions between China and Taiwan MORE to be President Biden’s Secretary of State, fourth in line to succeed the presidency, who Biden was tasked with leading the effort to bring the U.S. back to the global stage and rebuild the alliances that it suffered under the Trump administration.
The Senate voted 78-22 for Blinken’s confirmation, making him the 71st secretary of state and the fourth member of the Biden cabinet to be confirmed.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen
Janet Louise YellenOn The Money: Senate confirms Yellen as first female Treasury secretary | Biden says he is open to stricter income limits for stimulus checks | The government will seek to expedite Tubman’s inclusion in the Senate bill confirms Yellen as the first female secretary of the Treasury. Sorry, Mr. Jackson, Tubman is not real MORE was confirmed on Monday, while the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
Lloyd AustinOn The Money: Senate confirms Yellen as first female Treasury secretary | Biden says he is open to stricter income limits for stimulus checks | Government seeks to expedite Tubman’s inclusion in bill Night defense: Biden suspends Trump’s transgender military ban | Democrats and defenders celebrate end of ban | 5,000 guards who remained in DC until mid-March Senate confirms Yellen as first female secretary of the Treasury MORE and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines
Avril HainesOn The Money: Senate confirms Yellen as first female Treasury secretary | Biden says he is open to stricter income limits for stimulus checks | The government will try to expedite Tubman’s inclusion in the Senate bill confirms Yellen as Hawaii’s first female secretary of the Treasury. Republican Party official resigns due to now deleted tweet defending QAnon MORE supporters were confirmed last week.
Blinken’s vote of confirmation comes while the Senate is ready to start deliberations on the second impeachment trial against the former President Trump
Donald TrumpSchumer: The impeachment trial will be swift, it doesn’t need many witnesses Nurse to be chosen by Biden as interim general surgeon: Schumer report asks Biden to declare climate emergency MORE, in which Senate leaders worked to balance the ex-president’s judgment on the need to confirm Biden’s cabinet choices.
Trump was impeached in the House last week over an article inciting an insurrection related to the deadly attack on the United States Capitol by a crowd of his supporters on January 6 in an effort to topple the official count of the Congressional Electoral College , claiming Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
Blinken takes the lead in the State Department amid Biden’s commitment to bring the U.S. back to the global stage, strengthening alliances and US involvement in multilateral institutions that Trump criticized and withdrew U.S. participation.
He also has the task of boosting morale in the State Department, which Democrats say has suffered greatly under the Trump administration with the departure of experienced professionals in leadership positions, vacancies in senior positions, personal attacks on diplomats and officials and unresolved reports of political retaliation against career officials.
“The State Department is experiencing a historic crisis due to low morale, the departure of many of our most experienced diplomats in the past four years and the lack of accountability of political leadership in the past four years,” said the senator. Bob Menendez
Robert (Bob) MenendezBiden must wait for the weekend to choose the State Department Senate presses Biden’s choice for Secretary of State for Iran, China, Russia and Yemen Year-end agreement creates Latin American, women’s history museums MORE (DN.J.), the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“Sir. Blinken’s experience and knowledge are needed to start repairing the damage and rebuilding the state department,” he added.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerMcConnell: Power-sharing deal could continue after Manchin and Sinema again obstructed the law enforcement officer to investigate whether officials tried to interfere in the aftermath of the Capitol Election Uprising: The PATRIOT Act 2.0? MORE (DN.Y.), who spoke before Blinken’s confirmation vote, offered to support Blinken as the “right person” to lead the department in the post-Trump years.
“Sir. Blinken is the right person to rebuild and reaffirm America’s national security prerogatives on the global stage and to restore the first instrument of American power: diplomacy,” said Schumer on the floor.
“For four years, the failed administration of the Trump administration has weakened our alliances, strengthened and encouraged our opponents, and tarnished America’s reputation abroad,” said Schumer.
Blinken was assistant secretary of state during the Obama administration and has been a longtime adviser to Biden, having served as director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when Biden was president. Blinken also held high-level positions on the White House’s National Security Council when Biden was vice president.
In addition to his own service, Blinken’s father served as a United States ambassador to Hungary, his uncle as a United States ambassador to Belgium and his wife as an assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs during the Obama administration.
Blinken recounts this, and his family history of finding refuge in the United States, as an inspiration for his commitment to public service. His grandfather fled pogroms in Russia, his grandmother fled Communist Hungary and his stepfather survived the Nazi concentration camps.
During his confirmation hearing last week, Blinken pledged to cooperate more closely with Congress in US foreign policy decisions and further said that increasing diversity in the State Department is one of his primary responsibilities, committing to the momentum president to promote racial and gender equality.
“I’ll see this as a significant measure of whether I’ve been successful or failed, regardless of how long I’m at work, whether we’ve finally established the real foundations to ensure we have a workforce and a State Department that look like the country that you represent, ”Blinken said during his confirmation hearing last week.
The newly confirmed secretary is tasked with taking a stronger stand against opponents like China, Russia and North Korea and navigating a path to diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear program that Republicans oppose and Democratic leaders are cautious.
Menendez offered full support for Blinken’s confirmation, but had previously expressed his “fear” about the Biden government’s quest to rejoin the nuclear deal with Iran, from which Trump withdrew in 2018, if he fails to resolve the other evil activities. of Tehran.
Senator James Risch (R-Idaho), current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he supported Blinken’s confirmation, despite being on opposite sides of the issue with Iran.
“Iran is a very wide disagreement that we have. In my judgment, the JCPOA [Iran nuclear deal] it was a colossal failure and a real mistake for American politics abroad. When talking to Blinken, he does not share that view, ”said Risch in his comments on the Senate floor.
“Again, this is a problem among many, many problems that we have discussed. There was very little, indeed no daylight between us in some of them, “he added.
However, Republicans have largely supported Blinken’s confirmation and offered cooperation in areas of agreement and engagement in conflict.
– Updated 13:03