A pair of key presidential nominees face Senate confirmation Tuesday, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pushes through a last-minute round of votes before ceding control of the chamber to Republicans next month.
As part of an agreement reached over at the weekend between Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Senate will hold afternoon votes on Antony Blinken’s nomination to be deputy secretary of state. Hours later, senators will consider Sarah Saldaña’s bid to head the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE. Both are expected to be confirmed along partisan lines.
Republicans opposed both nominees and had expected to run out the clock until the new Congress convenes next month. But after a Friday deal between party leaders to pass a massive government spending bill and then adjourn for the year collapsed, Reid unexpectedly had the time and leverage to bring up votes on Blinken and Saldaña.
Saldaña, a U.S. attorney in Dallas, would be the first Latina to serve as the nation’s top immigration official, if confirmed. Her nomination initially had some Republican support, with Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas earlier this year saying she was “an outstanding person and actually a good choice for that job.”
But GOP backing for Saldaña crumbled last month after she said President Obama’s recent executive action to allow millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. remain was legal.
Texas’ other GOP senator, Ted Cruz, said Saldaña would be “another rubber stamp for illegal amnesty” if confirmed.
ICE, part of the Homeland Security Department, is responsible for identifying and fixing vulnerabilities regarding the nation’s border, economic, transportation and infrastructure security. The agency also handles responsibilities such as drug smuggling, human trafficking and cybersecurity.
Meanwhile, Republicans have complained that Blinken, who has been the president’s deputy national security adviser for almost two years, is unqualified to serve as the State Department’s No. 2 official. Before coming to the White House, Blinken was a Democratic staffer for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The president last month said Blinken has a “rare combination of deep policy expertise, impeccable judgment and an inclusive leadership style.”
Blinken also has been a main adviser to the president on his strategy to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. But since Republicans generally have been critical of the administration’s approach to the Islamic State, they aren’t thrilled with the prospect of Blinken serving in a senior State Department role.
