House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that she wants the Senate to hold hearings on presumptive President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s nominees before Inauguration Day.
Mr. Biden announced Monday his intended nominees for a slew of national security and foreign policy positions, including Alejandro N. Mayorkas as secretary of homeland security, Avril Haines as director of national intelligence and Linda Thomas-Greenfield as ambassador to the United Nations, among others.
Mrs. Pelosi said she wants the Republican-controlled Senate to begin processing the nominations before the January inauguration of the next president.
“Our Democratic House Majority looks forward to working with this outstanding team to honor our sacred mission to protect the American people, particularly our brave servicemembers,” Mrs. Pelosi said in a statement. “We urge the Senate to follow precedent and hold hearings on these nominees in January before the inauguration. In the mission to safeguard our national security, we cannot accept any delay.”
The California Democrat said she thought Mr. Biden’s first slate of intended nominees would “repair the damage wrought by the Trump administration” and “restore America’s critical and preeminent role in the international arena.”
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, joined Mrs. Pelosi’s call for the Senate to move quickly in response to Mr. Biden’s nominees.
“These individuals have decades of experience while also bringing fresh perspectives to the challenges we face and serving as historic firsts,” Mr. Hoyer said in a statement on Monday. “Many of them have also been previously confirmed in the Senate, and I hope the Senate will promptly hold confirmation hearings so this team can get to work for the people.”
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.