The Senate voted Monday to confirm former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin as the next treasury secretary, the latest Cabinet member to be approved after a lengthy and at times contentious confirmation process.
The vote was 53-47, mostly along party lines, with Sen. Joe Manchin the lone Democrat voting yes.
Senators then began voting on Trump's pick to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, David Shulkin, Monday evening.
Republicans lauded Mnuchin's lengthy experience in the field.
"Mr. Mnuchin has 30 years of experience working in a variety of capacities in the financial sector," said Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican. "He has experience managing large and complicated private-sector enterprises and in negotiating difficult compromises and making tough decisions -- and being accountable for those decisions. Mr. Mnuchin is clearly qualified to serve as secretary of the United States Treasury."
The Mnuchin fight has lacked some of the last-minute theatrics that marked confirmation battles last week -- including a string of protests against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and a surprising rebuke of Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the fight over Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Instead, all eyes are on Labor nominee Andrew Puzder, who will come up for a confirmation hearing Thursday, almost one week after revelations that he had hired an undocumented worker to do housework for him. That revelation has led Democrats to call for his removal as nominee, but top Republicans have stood firm behind Puzder. The main focus will be on rank-and-file Republicans, and whether they change their minds on him.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/13/p...te-confirmation-vote-david-shulkin/index.html
Edit: AP Politics
BREAKING: Senate confirms President Donald Trump's pick of VA undersecretary David Shulkin to lead Department of Veterans Affairs.
https://twitter.com/AP_Politics/status/831306883407413248
The vote was 53-47, mostly along party lines, with Sen. Joe Manchin the lone Democrat voting yes.
Senators then began voting on Trump's pick to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, David Shulkin, Monday evening.
Republicans lauded Mnuchin's lengthy experience in the field.
"Mr. Mnuchin has 30 years of experience working in a variety of capacities in the financial sector," said Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican. "He has experience managing large and complicated private-sector enterprises and in negotiating difficult compromises and making tough decisions -- and being accountable for those decisions. Mr. Mnuchin is clearly qualified to serve as secretary of the United States Treasury."
The Mnuchin fight has lacked some of the last-minute theatrics that marked confirmation battles last week -- including a string of protests against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and a surprising rebuke of Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the fight over Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Instead, all eyes are on Labor nominee Andrew Puzder, who will come up for a confirmation hearing Thursday, almost one week after revelations that he had hired an undocumented worker to do housework for him. That revelation has led Democrats to call for his removal as nominee, but top Republicans have stood firm behind Puzder. The main focus will be on rank-and-file Republicans, and whether they change their minds on him.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/13/p...te-confirmation-vote-david-shulkin/index.html
Edit: AP Politics
BREAKING: Senate confirms President Donald Trump's pick of VA undersecretary David Shulkin to lead Department of Veterans Affairs.
https://twitter.com/AP_Politics/status/831306883407413248
