By Robert Burns, Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee - AP
President-elect Joe Biden's National Security Cabinet will possibly be empty on his first day in office, as his nominees must be confirmed by the Senate, but they begin this Tuesday , on the eve of the position taking, a series of hearings that will speed up the process so that some of the vacant positions are filled as soon as possible.
While the people chosen to head the State Department, Pentagon, Homeland Security and intelligence community are unlikely to be confirmed by the time Biden takes office at noon Wednesday, some could be taking office in a few days.
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The Senate generally confirms some nominees, particularly the secretaries of defense, on the day of the inauguration.
However, four years ago, the sharp pushback generated by Donald Trump led to delays in hearings, caused by Democrats.
The only exception was confirmation James Mattis at the Pentagon.
This year, the tension is even greater due to the
impeachment
against Trump and the extraordinary military presence in Washington due to the fear of extreme violence.
One of Biden's priorities is to get his national security team in motion quickly, not only because of his hopes of
reversing or modifying the policies of the Trump Administration
, but also because of the challenges that may arise at the beginning of his term in office. diplomatic, military and intelligence problems on a global scale.
The most controversial candidate is Lloyd Austin, a recently retired Army general who Biden chose to head the Pentagon.
Austin will need not only a favorable confirmation vote in the Senate, but also both the House and Senate to authorize a waiver, as it has been in uniform for less time, just four years, than the law requires.
In this Sept. 16, 2015 file photo, retired General Lloyd Austin III is shown during a hearing in Washington DCAP
The last time a new president did not have his defense secretary confirmed by inauguration day was in 1989: President George HW Bush.
His candidate, John Tower, faced strong opposition and ended up being rejected by the Senate weeks later.
Also pending confirmation are Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's candidate for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security;
Biden's confidant, Antony Blinken, to head the State Department;
Avril Haine, who will be the first woman to hold the position of Director of National Intelligence;
and Janet Yellen as Secretary of the Treasury.
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Austin will have a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, but the panel will not be in a position to vote until it gets the waiver.
Republicans are expected to broadly support Austin's nomination, as are Democrats.
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The Cabinet that arrives with Biden marks a return to a more traditional approach to governing
, with veteran lawmakers with extensive experience and strong relationships in Washington and global capitals.
Austin is an exception in that only twice in history has a recently retired general served as secretary of defense.
The last was Trump's candidate, James Mattis.
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Austin, who would be the first black secretary of defense, retired from the Army as a general in 2016. The law requires a minimum waiting period of seven years.
The doubts generated by accepting the nomination of a person who has recently retired arise from the American tradition of protecting possible excessive military influence by giving control to the civilian population.
When he announced Austin as his nominee in December, Biden insisted he is "especially suited" for the job.
Lindsay P. Cohn, an expert in civil-military relations and associate professor at the US Naval War College, testified at a Senate hearing on the issue last week that an Austin waiver poses troubling risks.
"Choosing a recently retired general officer and arguing that he is exceptionally qualified promotes the narrative that military officers are better and more trustworthy than civil servants or other civilians," he argued.
“This is hugely problematic at a time when one of the greatest challenges facing the country is the need to restore trust and faith in the political system
.
To imply that only a military officer can do this job at this time is counterproductive to that goal, "he added.
Some Democrats have already said they will oppose a waiver.
They argue that granting it for two administrations in a row makes the exception more like a rule.
Still, a favorable vote seems likely.
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The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington, introduced exemption legislation for Austin on Friday.
Mayorkas, Biden's candidate for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS, for its acronym in English), would be
the first Latino and the first immigrant to lead the agency
.
A notable decision because DHS oversees borders and immigration service agencies.
Haines, a former CIA deputy director and deputy national security adviser in the Obama Administration, was due to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday, but the hearing for her confirmation as director of National Intelligence was postponed until Tuesday.
He is expected to promise to keep politics out of the intelligence community, a trend of the Trump Administration.
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"To be effective you must never shy away from speaking the truth to power
, even especially when doing so may be inconvenient or difficult," Haines will say, according to excerpts from his prepared remarks.
Yellen, the Treasury secretary nominee, is likely to be questioned by the Senate Finance Committee on the details of the $ 1.9 trillion emergency aid plan proposed by Biden last week.
"Without more actions, we run the risk of suffering a more prolonged and painful recession, and a long-term scarring of the economy," says Yellen, adding that "right now, with interest rates at historic lows, the smartest thing to do What we can do is act big, "and he says that in the long run" the benefits will far outweigh the costs. "
