The Senate’s Republican majority has been working at an accelerated pace to confirm key officials for the current administration, moving faster than previous presidents’ confirmation processes.
Republican leaders in the upper chamber have successfully approved 18 out of 22 Cabinet positions so far. The most recent confirmation was for the head of the Small Business Administration, following last week’s approval of the Secretary of Commerce. With 17 officials already in place before this latest confirmation, the administration has surpassed the pace of its predecessor, who had only seven nominees confirmed at the same point in 2021. Additionally, the Senate approved the new FBI director last week, marking another key victory, even though the position is not part of the Cabinet.
“By the end of today, we will have confirmed 18 nominees. These individuals are bold and highly qualified,” a Senate leader stated before the FBI director’s vote.
“That is more nominees than the 2009 administration had at this point. It is more than the 2021 administration had. More than twice as many,” they continued.
“Voters chose a bold, new direction in Washington, and Senate Republicans are delivering on that,” they added. While a few Cabinet positions remain unconfirmed, the approval of the FBI director marked a major milestone, as all of the most controversial nominees have now been put in place.
The president nominated officials for key roles in defense, health, intelligence, and law enforcement, with each of them facing some level of resistance from within their own party. According to Senate leadership, the 2009 administration had only 16 Cabinet officials confirmed by mid-February of that year, while the 2021 administration took 56 days to reach 17 confirmed nominees. Despite facing challenges, each nominee ultimately secured approval.
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