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Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley plotted to block Biden's Cabinet nominees -- but the scheme backfired
Just more evidence that Republicans are not even interested in governing. All they want to do is grab power by stoking racial resentment so that they can approve giveaways to the top 1 percent.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ted-cruz-and-josh-hawley-plotted-to-block-bidens-cabinet-nominees-%e2%80%94-but-the-scheme-backfired/ar-BB1fqz0Z?li=BBnbfcL
Republicans geared up to fight Biden's nominees early on, with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urging his party shortly after the election to obstruct the new president's choices because Democrats had been "so unfair" to Trump's nominees, even though many of Trump's choices — including former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and EPA administrator Scott Pruitt — drew concerns from ethics watchdogs over extensive conflicts of interest and questionable qualifications. The Democratic-led Senate was far more supportive of former President George W. Bush's Cabinet selections, approving 85% of his choices before he was inaugurated and confirming his full Cabinet just 12 days after he took office.
While Biden's predecessors had numerous Cabinet picks approved by the time they got into office, the Senate did not confirm Biden's first nominee until Inauguration Day. Instead, Republicans used much of the transition period to back Trump's baseless attempts to sow doubt about Biden's victory with fictitious claims of fraud. Cruz and Hawley led the Senate objections to the certification of electoral votes in several states even after a mob of Trump supporters attacked and overran Capitol Police and hunted lawmakers through the halls of Congress.
After Biden's inauguration, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., continued the obstruction by delaying an organizing resolution that would allow the new Democratic majority to take over Senate committees. Republican senators vowed that it would be an uphill battle for the new president's Cabinet selections, drawing allegations of "hypocrisy" from groups like Accountable.US after senators like Ron Johnson, R-Wis., warned during Trump's administration that delaying confirmations would leave the government "unfairly and unnecessarily crippled."
Despite the Republican complaints, Trump had hearings for 12 of his Cabinet selections before his inauguration, according to the Accountable.US report, while Biden had just four. "The delay of President Biden's Cabinet was particularly egregious given the national security concerns stemming from the deadly insurrection that President Trump and some Republicans in the Senate helped incite on January 6," the report argued, echoing past statements by Republicans. Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, warned in 2017 that it was imperative to confirm Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the "safety of our communities." The Senate did not confirm Attorney General Merrick Garland until March 10, nearly two months after Biden's inauguration and more than a month later than Sessions' confirmation in 2017.
While Biden's predecessors had numerous Cabinet picks approved by the time they got into office, the Senate did not confirm Biden's first nominee until Inauguration Day. Instead, Republicans used much of the transition period to back Trump's baseless attempts to sow doubt about Biden's victory with fictitious claims of fraud. Cruz and Hawley led the Senate objections to the certification of electoral votes in several states even after a mob of Trump supporters attacked and overran Capitol Police and hunted lawmakers through the halls of Congress.
After Biden's inauguration, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., continued the obstruction by delaying an organizing resolution that would allow the new Democratic majority to take over Senate committees. Republican senators vowed that it would be an uphill battle for the new president's Cabinet selections, drawing allegations of "hypocrisy" from groups like Accountable.US after senators like Ron Johnson, R-Wis., warned during Trump's administration that delaying confirmations would leave the government "unfairly and unnecessarily crippled."
Despite the Republican complaints, Trump had hearings for 12 of his Cabinet selections before his inauguration, according to the Accountable.US report, while Biden had just four. "The delay of President Biden's Cabinet was particularly egregious given the national security concerns stemming from the deadly insurrection that President Trump and some Republicans in the Senate helped incite on January 6," the report argued, echoing past statements by Republicans. Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, warned in 2017 that it was imperative to confirm Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the "safety of our communities." The Senate did not confirm Attorney General Merrick Garland until March 10, nearly two months after Biden's inauguration and more than a month later than Sessions' confirmation in 2017.
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