Biden Is Finding New and Inexplicable Ways to Screw Up His Cabinet Picks – The New Republic

Biden and his allies have noted that Congress granted a similar waiver to James Mattis four years ago when Trump nominated him for the same job. But that comparison is awkward at best. Mattis drew broad bipartisan support because lawmakers at the time expected that he would serve as a potential check on Trumps worst impulses, and because Mattis would have the stature to defy an illegal order if Trump gave one. For obvious reasons, members of Congress didnt quite say this out loud at the time, and those factors arent at play for Biden or Austin. Biden may yet see Austin confirmed, but hell have to expend some political capital to get it done.

Some in Bidenworld have argued that the president-elect is prioritizing experience over other factors. But Bidens hiring moves on Thursday seem to undercut those claims. Denis McDonough, who is reportedly his pick to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, is a former White House chief of staff who also served as a member of the National Security Council in the Obama years. Its unclear how that background will translate to the massive health care bureaucracy that is the V.A. (Most V.A. leaders were also veterans; McDonough is not.) Bidens announcement that Susan Rice, Obamas former national security adviser, will lead the White House Domestic Policy Council is equally puzzling. Rice is one of the most prominent foreign policy experts in Democratic circles and was once considered for secretary of state; her experience with domestic policy issues appears to be minimal at best.

And then theres Rahm Emanuel. The controversial mayor of Chicagos name keeps coming up as a potential contender for Cabinet slots, including secretary of transportation or other prominent administration roles. Emanuel, like many other Biden picks, is a familiar face from the Obama years. But he brings no apparent qualifications for running the Department of Transportation. His own handling of transit and environmental justice issues in Chicago is middling at best, and his role in covering up the Chicago Police Departments killing of Laquan McDonald in 2014 makes him radioactive for progressives and civil rights activists.

I dont want to give short shrift to the challenges Biden is facing. He could be the first Democratic president since 1885 to enter the White House without full control of Congress. The House Democratic majority hinges on fewer than a dozen seats, and any members who resign might not be replaced for months. To capture the Senate, Democrats would also need to win both of Georgias Senate seats in the runoff elections next month to secure a 50-member majority with Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harriss tie-breaking vote. This outcome isnt impossible, of course. But Biden would be foolish to assume that it will happen when building his Cabinet.

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Biden Is Finding New and Inexplicable Ways to Screw Up His Cabinet Picks - The New Republic