Biden's confirmation traffic jam
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President Biden has submitted more nominees to the Senate — but received fewer confirmations — than recent presidents, data from the The Partnership for Public Service's Center for Presidential Transition shows.
Why it matters: The new president is facing a pandemic without a surgeon general or head of the Department of Health and Human Services, he confronts an economic crisis without his leaders at Labor or Commerce and domestic terrorism is on the rise with no attorney general, said Max Stier, the partnership's president and CEO.
The big picture: The Georgia runoffs, a delayed Senate power-sharing agreement and President Trump's second impeachment trial all contributed to the Senate slowdown.
- Cabinet-level confirmations have also become more contentious, while Senate majorities have narrowed.
What they're saying: The president, a longtime senator who wants to work with his former colleagues, targeted Trump instead.
- "I blame it on the failure to have a transition that is rational,” he said Wednesday.
