Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz asks questions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Executive Assistant Commissioner for Operations Support William Ferrara in Washington, D.C., March 4, 2020. CBP Photo by Glenn Fawcett
Ten Republican senators opposed the confirmation of President Biden’s first appointee to be given a confirmation hearing yesterday. In The Wall Street Journal, Dustin Volz details their dissent, writing (abridged):
WASHINGTON—The Senate confirmed President Biden’s pick to lead the sprawling U.S. intelligence community Wednesday, delivering the newly inaugurated president his first Senate-confirmed cabinet secretary.
Avril Haines is the first woman to become director of national intelligence, a job that oversees 18 intelligence agencies and units, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, which employ hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors.
The Senate voted 84-10 to confirm Ms. Haines, with only Republicans opposing her nomination.
The 10 Republicans who voted against Ms. Haines were Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Mike Lee of Utah, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Rand Paul of Kentucky, James Risch of Idaho, and Mike Braun of Indiana.
By Dustin Volz
