WASHINGTON: The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed seven nominees to President Barack Obama’s administration and scheduled for tomorrow a vote on Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state.
The Senate confirmed Steven Chu as secretary of energy, Eric Shinseki to be secretary of veterans affairs, Janet Napolitano as secretary of homeland security, Arne Duncan to be secretary of education, Tom Vilsack as secretary of agriculture, Ken Salazar to be interior secretary and Peter Orszag to become director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said the Senate will debate and vote on the Clinton nomination tomorrow.
The Senate acted hours after Obama was sworn in today as the nation’s 44th president.
The delay in confirming Clinton means that Obama assumes office with vacancies in his two top Cabinet posts: State and Treasury. Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner is scheduled to appear at his Senate confirmation hearing tomorrow.
The confirmation of Clinton, a Democratic senator from New York, was delayed after Republican John Cornyn of Texas said he would insist on “a full and open debate.” Reid scheduled three hours of debate on the nomination for tomorrow afternoon.
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