Across the board, almost ever Republican senator has acknowledged that Joe Biden will be the next president.
That doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination mean that they’re going to let him off the hook just because he’s getting the keys to the White House, nor are they going to simply let Biden pass through radical legislation by way of his administration.
During the transition, Biden has quickly worked to assemble his administrative team.
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But GOP senators have a say in this… and from the sound of it, Biden cabinet confirmations won’t be a cake walk.
In fact, far from it.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is leading the charge.
Rubio, a 2016 presidential contender and likely 2024 hopeful, tweeted that Biden’s team was stacked with Ivy League graduates who “will be polite & orderly caretakers of America’s decline.”
Rubio said in a tweet, “I have no interest in returning to the ‘normal’ that left us dependent on China.”
Biden’s cabinet picks went to Ivy League schools,have strong resumes,attend all the right conferences & will be polite & orderly caretakers of America’s decline
I support American greatness
And I have no interest in returning to the “normal” that left us dependent on China
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 24, 2020
Some other GOP senators, particularly those being watched for their own potential 2024 presidential bids, also criticized Biden’s team as they flex their national security credentials.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., mocked Biden for selecting a team that “will only reinforce his instincts to go soft on China.”
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Being tough on China is fast emerging as a theme among Republicans, echoing Trump in taking a more confrontational approach to the economic and military powerhouse.
Another potential 2024 hopeful, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tweeted about the Biden team: “What a group of corporatists and war enthusiasts.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is setting the tone for Senate Republicans by not publicly congratulating Biden or acknowledging President Donald Trump’s defeat. He wants to give the president time to contest the vote, even as Trump’s legal team has been losing most of the cases.
Even if McConnell is willing to accept Biden’s choices for top Cabinet positions, the Republican leader is not expected to allow easy Senate confirmation without a political price.
He is known for driving hard bargains even on routine business, and Republicans are eager for payback on Democrats for running out the clock with procedural hurdles to Trump’s nominees.
But silent this week were the potential GOP chairs of key committees who would be expected to hold confirmation hearings for the nominees.
Also declining to weigh in were centrist GOP senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — who will be keenly watched as possibly supporting Biden’s ability to assemble his team.
In announcing his national security team, Biden appealed Tuesday to the Senate to give the nominees “a prompt hearing” and “begin the work to heal and unite America and the world.”
The soonest the Senate would consider the nominations is Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, when past presidents often have been able to win swift confirmation of top national security officials shortly after taking the oath of office.
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Nominees need 51 votes for confirmation. Heading into 2021, Republicans have a 50-48 hold on the chamber. But if Democrats win both Georgia seats in the Jan. 5 runoff elections, they would flip to majority control because the vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, is a tie breaker.
Republican strategist Alex Conant said McConnell is “trying to show some deference to Trump in hopes of promoting party unity” ahead of the Georgia election.
The outcome in January is certain to make a narrowly held Senate. If McConnell retains control, it’s unclear what priorities he would extract from the Biden administration in return for confirmation. If Democrats win control, they will have no margin for dissent among more progressive or conservative flanks in approving Biden’s nominees.
Biden purposefully tapped seasoned government officials for his national security team as he vows a diverse administration reflecting the nation.
Those introduced Tuesday are alumni of Barack Obama’s administration and Biden’s own decades in Washington: Antony Blinken, nominated to be secretary of state; Alejandro Mayorkas, a Cuban American former federal prosecutor who would be the first immigrant as secretary of homeland security; Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a career diplomat, as ambassador to the United Nations; and Avril Haines, who would be the first woman to serve as director of national intelligence.
He also announced John Kerry, the former secretary of state, senator and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, as a special presidential envoy for climate, and Jake Sullivan, a former top Hillary Clinton aide as national security adviser. Those two positions do not require Senate confirmation.
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Biden is also expected to tap Janet Yellen, the former chair of the Federal Reserve, as treasury secretary.
Although the transition has begun, Trump has not yet conceded the race to Biden.
The Associated Press contributed to this article