Vice President Harris cast a tiebreaker vote Tuesday to advance a controversial Biden candidate.
The Senate split between 50 and 50 to see if Colin Kahl’s nomination would advance, President Biden
Joe BidenBiden overturned Blinken, top officials of the initial decision on the refugee limit: reported that a suicide attack affected Afghan security forces Jim Jordan, and Val Demings called a party on police while listening to MOREThe election to be Secretary of Defense for Politics, in the full Senate for a confirmation vote.
The tiebreaker vote was Harris’ fourth overall ranking as vice president, but the first for a Biden candidate, according to data from the Senate Secretary’s Office.
“In this vote, the ‘yes’ is 50, the ‘nays’ are 50. The Senate is divided equally, the vice president votes in the affirmative and the motion is accepted … The nomination will be put on the executive calendar. Thank you.” said Harris as he presided over the chamber on Wednesday.
Harris elbowed Sen. John Hickenlooper
John Hickenlooper The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – GOP marks the line of taxes; the nation supports Chauvin’s verdict 12:30 Hill’s Report – Presented by Facebook – All U.S. Adults Eligible for COVID Vaccines Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – All U.S. Adults Can Be Vaccinated se; decision Friday on J&J vax MORE (D-Colo.) As he climbed into the officer’s chair and then chatted with Sens. Dick Durbin
Dick DurbinGOP contemplates a new strategy to derail Biden’s infrastructure plan The White House defends the “aspirational” target of 62,500 refugees that Biden has on the refugee limit: “We couldn’t do two things at once” MORE (Ill. D), Jack Reed
Jack Reed Five questions about Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan Biden provokes a bipartisan reaction to the withdrawal from Afghanistan Night defense: Biden appoints first woman secretary of the army | Israel gets tough with Iran amid nuclear talks | Army’s first soldier enlisted “very proud” of officer pepper sprayed by police MORE (DR.I.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), All of whom served with her in the Senate.
His. Rob Portman
Robert (Rob) Jones Portman How to Save the Biden Amazon Jungle to Offer Additional 22,000, 6K Guest Worker Visas to North Triangle GOP Representative Steve Stivers Plans to Retire MORE (R-Ohio), who was in the chamber to deliver a speech on Biden’s infrastructure plan, referred to Harris ’presence before plunging into his speech.
“I welcome the Vice President, the President of the Senate, to our House this evening,” Portman said from the floor.
Kahl is the third Biden candidate to be discharged from the Senate floor after a blocked vote in committee.
Senate Democrats previously discharged and later confirmed Vanita Gupta to the No. 3 spot in the Justice Department. Harris was at his disposal Wednesday to help confirm Gupta, but because the senator. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann MurkowskiTrump: Republican candidates must embrace the “grow up in the United States” agenda if they want to win Republicans who supported Trump’s ouster; increase fundraising Moderate 0B infrastructure bill is a tough sell-off with Democrats (R-Alaska) broke with Republicans to support the candidate, Harris finally did not need to vote.
The Senate Armed Services Committee previously voted 13-13 following the party line for Kahl’s nomination.
Republicans rallied against Kahl after criticizing him for the tweets that criticized the Trump administration, as well as for his support of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal.
During his confirmation hearing, Kahl apologized for the “disrespectful” language in his tweets. He also pledged to approach the work of the Pentagon in a non-partisan way, saying his previous government service demonstrates his ability to do so.
But the senator. James Inhofe
James (Jim) Mountain Inhofe The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Tax March – The U.S. vaccine effort succeeds with the Johnson & Johnson break. Biden provokes a bipartisan reaction to the withdrawal from Afghanistan. (R-Okla.) He argued that the Republican Party’s unified opposition to the Senate Armed Services Committee was “rare” and that Kahl lacked “bipartisan credibility.”
“When President Biden appointed Dr. Kahl to this position, my expectation was that if confirmed, he and I would often disagree on politics, but we would actually understand each other and be able to live together,” Inhofe said Wednesday.
“But I quickly learned that this would be really impossible with Dr. Kahl,” Inhofe continued. “I don’t think I’ve ever said that about anyone, any candidate for any position I can remember.”
Rebecca Kheel contributed.