• Two committee hearings are scheduled for Thursday:
  • Marcia Fudge, nominee for secretary of housing and urban development, will appear before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  • Cecilia Rouse, nominee for chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, will also appear before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

• The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted 21-3 in favor of Pete Buttigieg’s nomination for secretary of transportation on Wednesday. Three Republicans voted against advancing him: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.). 

• The Senate will vote on a cloture motion on Thursday to end debate regarding the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas for secretary of homeland security.

News

• Biden issued two executive orders on Wednesday establishing the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and policies to address climate change, including halting new oil and natural gas development on public lands and offshore waters.

Transition in Context: Ambassadorships

Ambassadors are the highest-ranking diplomatic representative of the United States to another country. While most ambassadors are career foreign service officers, the president may fill a post with a political appointee outside of the United States Foreign Service.

According to the American Foreign Service Association in 2020, approximately 44% of President Donald Trump’s (R) ambassador nominations were political appointees rather than career diplomats. The historical average is 30%.

Except for Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a Cabinet-rank nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Biden has not made ambassador nominations.

What We're Reading

• Associated Press: Executive orders can be swift but fleeting
• FiveThirtyEight: Is The Presidential Honeymoon Over?
• Politico: Senate weighs jumping Biden judicial picks ahead of the queue