Confirmation process for Pete Buttigieg for secretary of transportation
President Joe Biden (D) announced Pete Buttigieg as his nominee for secretary of transportation on December 15, 2020. This presidential appointment required Senate confirmation.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a confirmation hearing for Buttigieg on January 21, 2021. The Senate confirmed him on February 2, 2021, by a vote of 86-13. He is the first openly gay person to be confirmed to a Cabinet position.[1]
Biden said of his nomination, "Mayor Pete Buttigieg is a patriot and a problem-solver who speaks to the best of who we are as a nation. I am nominating him for Secretary of Transportation because this position stands at the nexus of so many of the interlocking challenges and opportunities ahead of us. Jobs, infrastructure, equity, and climate all come together at the DOT, the site of some of our most ambitious plans to build back better. I trust Mayor Pete to lead this work with focus, decency, and a bold vision — he will bring people together to get big things done.”[2]
This page includes the following information about the confirmation process:
- Confirmation vote roll call
- Senate confirmation hearing
- Financial disclosures
- About the nominee
- About the confirmation process
- Other Biden Cabinet nominees
- Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations
Confirmation process
Confirmation vote roll call
Buttigieg was confirmed on February 2, 2021, by a vote of 86-13.
Thirteen Republican senators voted against his confirmation:[3]
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
- Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.)
- Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)
- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
- Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.)
- Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)
- Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.)
- Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.)
- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
- Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)
- Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)
- Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)
- Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)
Click on the following table to view the full roll call.
Senate vote on Pete Buttigieg's nomination for secretary of transportation (February 2, 2021) | |||
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Alabama | Richard Shelby | No | |
Alabama | Tommy Tuberville | No | |
Alaska | Lisa Murkowski | Yes | |
Alaska | Dan Sullivan | Yes | |
Arizona | Kyrsten Sinema | Yes | |
Arizona | Mark Kelly | Yes | |
Arkansas | John Boozman | Yes | |
Arkansas | Tom Cotton | No | |
California | Dianne Feinstein | Yes | |
California | Alex Padilla | Yes | |
Colorado | Michael F. Bennet | Yes | |
Colorado | John Hickenlooper | Yes | |
Connecticut | Richard Blumenthal | Yes | |
Connecticut | Chris Murphy | Yes | |
Delaware | Tom Carper | Yes | |
Delaware | Chris Coons | Yes | |
Florida | Rick Scott | No | |
Florida | Marco Rubio | No | |
Georgia | Jon Ossoff | Yes | |
Georgia | Raphael Warnock | Yes | |
Hawaii | Mazie Hirono | Yes | |
Hawaii | Brian Schatz | Yes | |
Idaho | Mike Crapo | Yes | |
Idaho | James E. Risch | Yes | |
Illinois | Dick Durbin | Yes | |
Illinois | Tammy Duckworth | Yes | |
Indiana | Mike Braun | Yes | |
Indiana | Todd Young | Yes | |
Iowa | Chuck Grassley | Yes | |
Iowa | Joni Ernst | Yes | |
Kansas | Roger Marshall | No | |
Kansas | Jerry Moran | Yes | |
Kentucky | Mitch McConnell | Yes | |
Kentucky | Rand Paul | Yes | |
Louisiana | Bill Cassidy | No | |
Louisiana | John Kennedy | Yes | |
Maine | Susan Collins | Yes | |
Maine | Angus King | Yes | |
Maryland | Benjamin L. Cardin | Yes | |
Maryland | Chris Van Hollen | Yes | |
Massachusetts | Elizabeth Warren | Yes | |
Massachusetts | Ed Markey | Yes | |
Michigan | Debbie Stabenow | Yes | |
Michigan | Gary Peters | Yes | |
Minnesota | Amy Klobuchar | Yes | |
Minnesota | Tina Smith | Yes | |
Mississippi | Roger Wicker | Yes | |
Mississippi | Cindy Hyde-Smith | Yes | |
Missouri | Josh Hawley | No | |
Missouri | Roy Blunt | Yes | |
Montana | Steve Daines | Yes | |
Montana | Jon Tester | Yes | |
Nebraska | Deb Fischer | Yes | |
Nebraska | Ben Sasse | Yes | |
Nevada | Jacky Rosen | Yes | |
Nevada | Catherine Cortez Masto | Yes | |
New Hampshire | Jeanne Shaheen | Yes | |
New Hampshire | Maggie Hassan | Yes | |
New Jersey | Robert Menendez | Yes | |
New Jersey | Cory Booker | Yes | |
New Mexico | Ben Ray Luján | Yes | |
New Mexico | Martin Heinrich | Yes | |
New York | Charles E. Schumer | Yes | |
New York | Kirsten Gillibrand | Yes | |
North Carolina | Richard Burr | Yes | |
North Carolina | Thom Tillis | Yes | |
North Dakota | John Hoeven | Yes | |
North Dakota | Kevin Cramer | Yes | |
Ohio | Rob Portman | Yes | |
Ohio | Sherrod Brown | Yes | |
Oklahoma | James M. Inhofe | Yes | |
Oklahoma | James Lankford | No | |
Oregon | Ron Wyden | Yes | |
Oregon | Jeff Merkley | Yes | |
Pennsylvania | Pat Toomey | Not voting | |
Pennsylvania | Robert P. Casey | Yes | |
Rhode Island | Jack Reed | Yes | |
Rhode Island | Sheldon Whitehouse | Yes | |
South Carolina | Lindsey Graham | Yes | |
South Carolina | Tim Scott | No | |
South Dakota | John Thune | Yes | |
South Dakota | Mike Rounds | Yes | |
Tennessee | Bill Hagerty | No | |
Tennessee | Marsha Blackburn | No | |
Texas | John Cornyn | Yes | |
Texas | Ted Cruz | No | |
Utah | Mitt Romney | Yes | |
Utah | Mike Lee | Yes | |
Vermont | Patrick Leahy | Yes | |
Vermont | Bernie Sanders | Yes | |
Virginia | Mark R. Warner | Yes | |
Virginia | Tim Kaine | Yes | |
Washington | Maria Cantwell | Yes | |
Washington | Patty Murray | Yes | |
West Virginia | Shelley Moore Capito | Yes | |
West Virginia | Joe Manchin | Yes | |
Wisconsin | Ron Johnson | Yes | |
Wisconsin | Tammy Baldwin | Yes | |
Wyoming | John Barrasso | Yes | |
Wyoming | Cynthia Lummis | Yes |
Senate confirmation hearing
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held Buttigieg's confirmation hearing on January 21, 2021.
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Financial disclosures
The Office of Government Ethics released Buttigieg's financial disclosures in January 2021. Click here to review them.
About the nominee
Buttigieg was born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1982. He earned a bachelor's degree in history and literature from Harvard University. He also studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar.[4][5]
From 2007 to 2010, Buttigieg worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company, specializing in economic development, business, logistics, and energy initiatives for government and private sector clients.[6][7] Before running for public office, Buttigieg worked for the campaigns of presidential candidate John Kerry as a research director in 2004 and Indiana gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson as an advisor in 2008.[4] He became a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2009.
Buttigieg ran for treasurer of Indiana as a Democrat in 2010, losing in the general election to Richard Mourdock (R). The following year, he won the South Bend mayoral election with 74% of the vote. At the age of 29, he was the youngest mayor of a city with more than 100,000 residents.[8] In 2014, he took a leave of absence as mayor and completed a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, earning the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his contributions to counterterrorism.[5] In 2015, during his re-election campaign, Buttigieg came out as gay in a column in a local paper.[9] He was re-elected mayor in 2015 with 80% of the vote.[10]
Buttigieg was a candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017 but withdrew his candidacy before a vote was held. He previously served as president of the Indiana Urban Mayors Caucus and on the boards of directors of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns and the Truman National Security Project.
About the confirmation process
- See also: Appointment confirmation process
The confirmation process includes several rounds of investigation and review, beginning with the submission of a personal financial disclosure report and a background check. The nominee is then evaluated in a committee hearing, which allows for a close examination of the nominee and his or her views on public policy. Supporters and opponents of the nominee may also testify.[11]
Once committee hearings are closed, most committees have a set amount of time before a vote is taken on whether the nominee is reported to the Senate favorably, unfavorably, or without recommendation. The nomination will then go to the Senate floor for consideration. Once the nomination is considered by the Senate, unlimited debate is allowed until a majority of the Senate votes to invoke cloture and close debate. Following a vote of cloture, the Senate conducts a simple majority vote on whether to confirm, reject, or take no action on the nomination.[12]
Other Biden Cabinet nominees
The following table provides an overview of the confirmation hearings and committee and Senate votes for each of Biden's Cabinet and Cabinet-rank nominees.
Overview of confirmation process for Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominee | Position | Announced | Senate committee | Confirmation hearing | Committee vote | Senate vote | Status |
Tony Blinken | Secretary of State | November 23, 2020 | Foreign Relations | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (15-3) | 78-22 | Confirmed on January 26, 2021 |
Janet Yellen | Secretary of the Treasury | November 30, 2020 | Finance | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (26-0) | 84-15 | Confirmed on January 25, 2021 |
Lloyd Austin | Secretary of Defense | December 8, 2020 | Armed Services | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 93-2 | Confirmed on January 22, 2021 |
Merrick Garland | Attorney General | January 7, 2021 | Judiciary | February 22-23, 2021 | Favorable (15-7) | 70-30 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021 |
Debra Haaland | Secretary of the Interior | December 17, 2020 | Energy and Natural Resources | February 23-24, 2021 | Favorable (11-9) | 51-40 | Confirmed on March 15, 2021 |
Tom Vilsack | Secretary of Agriculture | December 10, 2020 | Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | February 2, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 92-7 | Confirmed on February 23, 2021 |
Gina Raimondo | Secretary of Commerce | January 7, 2021 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 26, 2021 | Favorable (21-3) | 84-15 | Confirmed on March 2, 2021 |
Marty Walsh | Secretary of Labor | January 7, 2021 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 4, 2021 | Favorable (18-4) | 68-29 | Confirmed on March 22, 2021 |
Julie Su | Secretary of Labor | February 28, 2023 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | April 20, 2023 | Favorable (11-10) | N/A | No vote taken |
Xavier Becerra | Secretary of Health and Human Services | December 7, 2020 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions / Finance |
February 23, 2021 / February 24, 2021 | No recommendation (14-14) | 50-49 | Confirmed on March 18, 2021 |
Marcia Fudge | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | December 10, 2020 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | January 28, 2021 | Favorable (17-7) | 66-34 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021 |
Pete Buttigieg | Secretary of Transportation | December 15, 2020 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 21, 2021 | Favorable (21-3) | 86-13 | Confirmed on February 2, 2021 |
Jennifer Granholm | Secretary of Energy | December 17, 2020 | Energy and Natural Resources | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (13-4) | 64-35 | Confirmed on February 25, 2021 |
Miguel Cardona | Secretary of Education | December 22, 2020 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (17-5) | 64-33 | Confirmed on March 1, 2021 |
Denis McDonough | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | December 10, 2020 | Veterans' Affairs | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (Unanimous) | 87-7 | Confirmed on February 8, 2021 |
Alejandro Mayorkas | Secretary of Homeland Security | November 23, 2020 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (7-4) | 56-43 | Confirmed on February 2, 2021 |
Katherine Tai | U.S. Trade Representative | December 10, 2020 | Finance | February 25, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 98-0 | Confirmed on March 17, 2021 |
Avril Haines | Director of National Intelligence | November 23, 2020 | Intelligence (Select) | January 19, 2021 | N/A[13] | 84-10 | Confirmed on January 20, 2021 |
Linda Thomas-Greenfield | U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | November 23, 2020 | Foreign Relations | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (18-4) | 78-20 | Confirmed on February 23, 2021 |
Cecilia Rouse | Chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers | November 30, 2020 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | January 28, 2021 | Favorable (24-0) | 95-4 | Confirmed on March 2, 2021 |
Jared Bernstein | Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers | February 14, 2023 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | April 18, 2023 | Favorable (12-11) | 50-49 | Confirmed on June 13, 2023 |
Neera Tanden | Director of the Office of Management and Budget | November 30, 2020 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget | February 9, 2021 / February 10, 2021 | N/A | N/A | Withdrawn on March 2, 2021 |
Shalanda Young | Director of the Office of Management and Budget | November 24, 2021 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget | February 1, 2022 / February 1, 2022 | Favorable (7-6) / Favorable (15-6) | 61-36 | Confirmed on March 15, 2022 |
Michael Regan | Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | December 17, 2020 | Environment and Public Works | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (14-6) | 66-34 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021 |
Isabel Guzman | Administrator of the Small Business Administration | January 7, 2021 | Small Business and Entrepreneurship | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (15-5) | 81-17 | Confirmed on March 16, 2021 |
Eric Lander | Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | January 16, 2021 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | April 29, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | Voice Vote | Confirmed on May 28, 2021 |
Arati Prabhakar | Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | June 21, 2022 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | July 20, 2022 | Favorable (15-13) | 56-40 | Confirmed on September 22, 2022 |
William J. Burns[14] | Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | January 11, 2021 | Intelligence | February 24, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | Voice Vote | Confirmed on March 18, 2021 |
Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations
Comparison to Trump administration
The following chart compares how many days it took after the inaugurations in 2017 and 2021 for the Cabinet secretaries of Presidents Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D), respectively, to be confirmed. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.
Comparison to Obama administration
The following chart compares how many days it took after the inaugurations in 2009 and 2021 for the Cabinet secretaries of Presidents Barack Obama (D) and Joe Biden (D), respectively, to be confirmed. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ NBC News, "Senate confirms Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary," February 2, 2021
- ↑ 4President, "President-elect Biden Announces Mayor Pete Buttigieg as Nominee for Secretary of Transportation," December 15, 2021
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg, of Indiana, to be Secretary of Transportation )," February 2, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Vote Smart, "Pete Buttigieg's Biography," accessed July 8, 2019
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ City of South Bend, "Mayor Pete Buttigieg," accessed January 10, 2017
- ↑ Pete for South Bend, "About Mayor Pete," accessed January 9, 2017
- ↑ CNBC, "Meet 37-year-old Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, who thinks he can become the youngest US president ever," April 15, 2019
- ↑ Boston.com, "Pete Buttigieg explains why he didn’t come out until nearly his second term as South Bend mayor," April 3, 2019
- ↑ WNDU, "South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg wins re-election," November 3, 2015
- ↑ CRS Report for Congress, "Senate Confirmation Process: An Overview," accessed July 24, 2013
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 4, 2019
- ↑ PBS, "Senate confirms Avril Haines as director of national intelligence," January 20, 2021
- ↑ At the time of Burns' confirmation, director of the Central Intelligence Agency was not a Cabinet-level position in the Biden administration. Biden elevated the position to Cabinet-level on July 21, 2023.
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