Biden Cabinet Faces Rocky Confirmation Process

President Biden has been widely hailed for ushering in the most diverse cabinet in the history of the United States. Many cabinet-level positions are being run by a woman or person of color for the first time ever.

Of the 22 positions which require Senate confirmation that President Biden has named a nominee to, only 11 have been confirmed at time of writing. The most recent of these was newly minted Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona. There are still 11 nominees awaiting confirmation, however. Among those still waiting for confirmation are Xavier Becerra, Representative Deb Haaland, Vanita Gupta, and Kristen Clarke. The Senate has had quite a lot on its plate for the last couple of months with the uncertainty surrounding the COVID relief bill, the violence at the capital, and the second impeachment trial of Mr. Trump. All this considered, some delays in the confirmation process are to be expected; however, the language and level of respect that is being directed at these nominees has been raising concerns of unfair treatment or even racism among those who have been advocating for their nomination. The president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League, Marc Morial, was quoted by CNN as saying, in reference to the behavior exhibited in some confirmation hearings, “is this fair play? Or is this just racial hazing?”

One example is provided in Xavier Becerra’s treatment thus far; Becerra has been nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human services and is receiving pushback from Senators due to his not holding a medical degree. The previous HHS secretary, Alex Azar, did not hold a medical degree either, but did not face the political targeting that Becerra is currently enduring. Representative Deb Haaland is another nominee whose treatment at the hands of some of her Senate colleagues has been less than admirable. Over the course of her nomination interviews, Haaland has been yelled at, interrupted, and referred to as a “whack job” and a “radical” by Senators such as John Barrasso of Wyoming and John Kennedy of Louisiana. Crystal Echo Hawk, founder and executive director of IllumiNative was quoted as saying “The treatment of her: literally yelling at her, calling her a whack job, and likening her almost to a drug pusher… it was just a level that was pretty disrespectful and I know a lot of people took issue. As women, we’re exhausted by this, and as women of color, we see this consistently”. One thing is for certain; people around the country will be keeping a close eye on the confirmation proceedings both to witness these historical confirmations as well as how these nominees are treated.

Joe Doner - Staff Writer