Confirmation process for Avril Haines for director of national intelligence

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President Joe Biden (D) announced Avril Haines as his nominee for director of national intelligence on November 23, 2020. This presidential appointment required Senate confirmation.

The Senate Intelligence Committee held a confirmation hearing for Haines on January 19, 2021. She was confirmed on January 20, 2021, by a vote of 84-10. She is the first woman to hold this position.

Haines said during her confirmation hearing, "To be effective, the DNI must never shy away from speaking truth to power — even, especially, when doing so may be inconvenient or difficult. To safeguard the integrity of our Intelligence Community, the DNI must insist that, when it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics — ever."[1]

This page includes the following information about the confirmation process:

* Confirmation vote roll call
* Senate confirmation hearing
* Financial disclosures
* About the nominee
* About the confirmation process
* Other Biden Cabinet nominees
* Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations

## Contents

* 1 Confirmation process
* 1.1 Confirmation vote roll call
* 1.2 Senate confirmation hearing
* 1.3 Financial disclosures
* 2 About the nominee
* 3 About the confirmation process
* 4 Other Biden Cabinet nominees
* 5 Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations
* 5.1 Comparison to Trump administration
* 5.2 Comparison to Obama administration
* 6 See also
* 7 Footnotes

## Confirmation process[edit]

See also: Confirmation process for Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees

### Confirmation vote roll call[edit]

Haines was confirmed on January 20, 2021, by a vote of 84-10.

Summary of Senate vote on Avril Haines' nomination for director of national intelligence (January 20, 2021)

Party  | Votes for  | Votes against  | Not voting
Democrats | 46 | 0 | 2
Republicans | 36 | 10 | 4
Independents | 2 | 0 | 0
Totals | 84 | 10 | 6

Ten Republican senators voted against her confirmation:[2]

* Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
* Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.)
* Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
* Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)
* Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.)
* Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)
* Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)
* Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.)
* Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
* Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho)

Click on the following table to view the full roll call.

Senate vote on Avril Haines' nomination as director of national intelligence (January 20, 2021)

State  | Senator  | Party  | Vote to confirm
Alabama | Richard Shelby |  Republican | Yes
Alabama | Tommy Tuberville |  Republican | Yes
Alaska | Lisa Murkowski |  Republican | Yes
Alaska | Dan Sullivan |  Republican | Yes
Arizona | Kyrsten Sinema |  Democrat | Yes
Arizona | Mark Kelly |  Democrat | Yes
Arkansas | John Boozman |  Republican | Yes
Arkansas | Tom Cotton |  Republican | Yes
California | Dianne Feinstein |  Democrat | Yes
California | Alex Padilla |  Democrat | Yes
Colorado | Michael F. Bennet |  Democrat | Yes
Colorado | John Hickenlooper |  Democrat | Yes
Connecticut | Richard Blumenthal |  Democrat | Yes
Connecticut | Chris Murphy |  Democrat | Yes
Delaware | Tom Carper |  Democrat | Yes
Delaware | Chris Coons |  Democrat | Yes
Florida | Rick Scott |  Republican | Yes
Florida | Marco Rubio |  Republican | Yes
Georgia | Jon Ossoff |  Democrat | Yes
Georgia | Raphael Warnock |  Democrat | Yes
Hawaii | Mazie Hirono |  Democrat | Yes
Hawaii | Brian Schatz |  Democrat | Yes
Idaho | Mike Crapo |  Republican | Not voting
Idaho | James E. Risch |  Republican | No
Illinois | Dick Durbin |  Democrat | Yes
Illinois | Tammy Duckworth |  Democrat | Yes
Indiana | Mike Braun |  Republican | No
Indiana | Todd Young |  Republican | Yes
Iowa | Chuck Grassley |  Republican | Yes
Iowa | Joni Ernst |  Republican | No
Kansas | Roger Marshall |  Republican | No
Kansas | Jerry Moran |  Republican | Yes
Kentucky | Mitch McConnell |  Republican | Yes
Kentucky | Rand Paul |  Republican | No
Louisiana | Bill Cassidy |  Republican | Yes
Louisiana | John Kennedy |  Republican | Yes
Maine | Susan Collins |  Republican | Yes
Maine | Angus King |  Independent | Yes
Maryland | Benjamin L. Cardin |  Democrat | Yes
Maryland | Chris Van Hollen |  Democrat | Yes
Massachusetts | Elizabeth Warren |  Democrat | Yes
Massachusetts | Ed Markey |  Democrat | Yes
Michigan | Debbie Stabenow |  Democrat | Yes
Michigan | Gary Peters |  Democrat | Yes
Minnesota | Amy Klobuchar |  Democrat | Yes
Minnesota | Tina Smith |  Democrat | Yes
Mississippi | Roger Wicker |  Republican | Yes
Mississippi | Cindy Hyde-Smith |  Republican | Yes
Missouri | Josh Hawley |  Republican | No
Missouri | Roy Blunt |  Republican | Yes
Montana | Steve Daines |  Republican | Yes
Montana | Jon Tester |  Democrat | Yes
Nebraska | Deb Fischer |  Republican | Yes
Nebraska | Ben Sasse |  Republican | Yes
Nevada | Jacky Rosen |  Democrat | Yes
Nevada | Catherine Cortez Masto |  Democrat | Yes
New Hampshire | Jeanne Shaheen |  Democrat | Yes
New Hampshire | Maggie Hassan |  Democrat | Yes
New Jersey | Robert Menendez |  Democrat | Yes
New Jersey | Cory Booker |  Democrat | Yes
New Mexico | Ben Ray Luján |  Democrat | Yes
New Mexico | Martin Heinrich |  Democrat | Yes
New York | Charles E. Schumer |  Democrat | Yes
New York | Kirsten Gillibrand |  Democrat | Yes
North Carolina | Richard Burr |  Republican | Yes
North Carolina | Thom Tillis |  Republican | Not voting
North Dakota | John Hoeven |  Republican | Yes
North Dakota | Kevin Cramer |  Republican | Yes
Ohio | Rob Portman |  Republican | Yes
Ohio | Sherrod Brown |  Democrat | Not voting
Oklahoma | James M. Inhofe |  Republican | Yes
Oklahoma | James Lankford |  Republican | Yes
Oregon | Ron Wyden |  Democrat | Yes
Oregon | Jeff Merkley |  Democrat | Yes
Pennsylvania | Pat Toomey |  Republican | Not voting
Pennsylvania | Robert P. Casey |  Democrat | Yes
Rhode Island | Jack Reed |  Democrat | Yes
Rhode Island | Sheldon Whitehouse |  Democrat | Not voting
South Carolina | Lindsey Graham |  Republican | Yes
South Carolina | Tim Scott |  Republican | Not voting
South Dakota | John Thune |  Republican | Yes
South Dakota | Mike Rounds |  Republican | Yes
Tennessee | Bill Hagerty |  Republican | No
Tennessee | Marsha Blackburn |  Republican | No
Texas | John Cornyn |  Republican | Yes
Texas | Ted Cruz |  Republican | No
Utah | Mitt Romney |  Republican | Yes
Utah | Mike Lee |  Republican | No
Vermont | Patrick Leahy |  Democrat | Yes
Vermont | Bernie Sanders |  Independent | Yes
Virginia | Mark R. Warner |  Democrat | Yes
Virginia | Tim Kaine |  Democrat | Yes
Washington | Maria Cantwell |  Democrat | Yes
Washington | Patty Murray |  Democrat | Yes
West Virginia | Shelley Moore Capito |  Republican | Yes
West Virginia | Joe Manchin |  Democrat | Yes
Wisconsin | Ron Johnson |  Republican | Yes
Wisconsin | Tammy Baldwin |  Democrat | Yes
Wyoming | John Barrasso |  Republican | Yes
Wyoming | Cynthia Lummis |  Republican | Yes

### Senate confirmation hearing[edit]

The Senate Intelligence Committee held Haines' confirmation hearing on January 19, 2021.

Avril Haines' Senate confirmation hearing, January 19, 2021

### Financial disclosures[edit]

The Office of Government Ethics released Haines' financial disclosures in December 2020. Click here to review them.

## About the nominee[edit]

Haines received a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. She held several positions in government and academic roles, including as a senior research scholar at Columbia University, a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and a member of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.[3]

She worked on Capitol Hill as deputy chief counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during then-Sen. Joe Biden's (D) final term as the chairman. She began working in the Obama administration in 2010 as a National Security Council legal advisor. Haines served as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2013 to 2015 and assistant to the president and principal deputy national security advisor from 2015 to 2017.[3]

## About the confirmation process[edit]

See also: Appointment confirmation process

The confirmation process includes several rounds of investigation and review, beginning with the submission of a personal financial disclosure report and a background check. The nominee is then evaluated in a committee hearing, which allows for a close examination of the nominee and his or her views on public policy. Supporters and opponents of the nominee may also testify.[4]

Once committee hearings are closed, most committees have a set amount of time before a vote is taken on whether the nominee is reported to the Senate favorably, unfavorably, or without recommendation. The nomination will then go to the Senate floor for consideration. Once the nomination is considered by the Senate, unlimited debate is allowed until a majority of the Senate votes to invoke cloture and close debate. Following a vote of cloture, the Senate conducts a simple majority vote on whether to confirm, reject, or take no action on the nomination.[5]

## Other Biden Cabinet nominees[edit]

See also: Joe Biden's Cabinet and Confirmation process for Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees

The following table provides an overview of the confirmation hearings and committee and Senate votes for each of Biden's Cabinet and Cabinet-rank nominees.

Overview of confirmation process for Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees

Nominee  | Position  | Announced  | Senate committee  | Confirmation hearing  | Committee vote  | Senate vote  | Status
Tony Blinken | Secretary of State | November 23, 2020 | Foreign Relations | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (15-3) | 78-22 | Confirmed on January 26, 2021
Janet Yellen | Secretary of the Treasury | November 30, 2020 | Finance | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (26-0) | 84-15 | Confirmed on January 25, 2021
Lloyd Austin | Secretary of Defense | December 8, 2020 | Armed Services | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 93-2 | Confirmed on January 22, 2021
Merrick Garland | Attorney General | January 7, 2021 | Judiciary | February 22-23, 2021 | Favorable (15-7) | 70-30 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021
Debra Haaland | Secretary of the Interior | December 17, 2020 | Energy and Natural Resources | February 23-24, 2021 | Favorable (11-9) | 51-40 | Confirmed on March 15, 2021
Tom Vilsack | Secretary of Agriculture | December 10, 2020 | Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | February 2, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 92-7 | Confirmed on February 23, 2021
Gina Raimondo | Secretary of Commerce | January 7, 2021 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 26, 2021 | Favorable (21-3) | 84-15 | Confirmed on March 2, 2021
Marty Walsh | Secretary of Labor | January 7, 2021 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 4, 2021 | Favorable (18-4) | 68-29 | Confirmed on March 22, 2021
Julie Su | Secretary of Labor | February 28, 2023 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | April 20, 2023 | Favorable (11-10) | N/A | No vote taken
Xavier Becerra | Secretary of Health and Human Services | December 7, 2020 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
/ Finance | February 23, 2021 / February 24, 2021 | No recommendation (14-14) | 50-49 | Confirmed on March 18, 2021
Marcia Fudge | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | December 10, 2020 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | January 28, 2021 | Favorable (17-7) | 66-34 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021
Pete Buttigieg | Secretary of Transportation | December 15, 2020 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 21, 2021 | Favorable (21-3) | 86-13 | Confirmed on February 2, 2021
Jennifer Granholm | Secretary of Energy | December 17, 2020 | Energy and Natural Resources | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (13-4) | 64-35 | Confirmed on February 25, 2021
Miguel Cardona | Secretary of Education | December 22, 2020 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (17-5) | 64-33 | Confirmed on March 1, 2021
Denis McDonough | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | December 10, 2020 | Veterans' Affairs | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (Unanimous) | 87-7 | Confirmed on February 8, 2021
Alejandro Mayorkas | Secretary of Homeland Security | November 23, 2020 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (7-4) | 56-43 | Confirmed on February 2, 2021
Katherine Tai | U.S. Trade Representative | December 10, 2020 | Finance | February 25, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 98-0 | Confirmed on March 17, 2021
Avril Haines | Director of National Intelligence | November 23, 2020 | Intelligence (Select) | January 19, 2021 | N/A[6] | 84-10 | Confirmed on January 20, 2021
Linda Thomas-Greenfield | U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | November 23, 2020 | Foreign Relations | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (18-4) | 78-20 | Confirmed on February 23, 2021
Cecilia Rouse | Chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers | November 30, 2020 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | January 28, 2021 | Favorable (24-0) | 95-4 | Confirmed on March 2, 2021
Jared Bernstein | Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers | February 14, 2023 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | April 18, 2023 | Favorable (12-11) | 50-49 | Confirmed on June 13, 2023
Neera Tanden | Director of the Office of Management and Budget | November 30, 2020 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget | February 9, 2021 / February 10, 2021 | N/A | N/A | Withdrawn on March 2, 2021
Shalanda Young | Director of the Office of Management and Budget | November 24, 2021 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget | February 1, 2022 / February 1, 2022 | Favorable (7-6) / Favorable (15-6) | 61-36 | Confirmed on March 15, 2022
Michael Regan | Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | December 17, 2020 | Environment and Public Works | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (14-6) | 66-34 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021
Isabel Guzman | Administrator of the Small Business Administration | January 7, 2021 | Small Business and Entrepreneurship | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (15-5) | 81-17 | Confirmed on March 16, 2021
Eric Lander | Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | January 16, 2021 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | April 29, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | Voice Vote | Confirmed on May 28, 2021
Arati Prabhakar | Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | June 21, 2022 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | July 20, 2022 | Favorable (15-13) | 56-40 | Confirmed on September 22, 2022
William J. Burns[7] | Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | January 11, 2021 | Intelligence | February 24, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | Voice Vote | Confirmed on March 18, 2021

## Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations[edit]

### Comparison to Trump administration[edit]

The following chart compares how many days it took after the inaugurations in 2017 and 2021 for the Cabinet secretaries of Presidents Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D), respectively, to be confirmed. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.

### Comparison to Obama administration[edit]

The following chart compares how many days it took after the inaugurations in 2009 and 2021 for the Cabinet secretaries of Presidents Barack Obama (D) and Joe Biden (D), respectively, to be confirmed. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.

## See also[edit]

* Joe Biden presidential transition
* Joe Biden's Cabinet
* Ballotpedia's Daily Transition Tracker

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ CNN, "Read: Excerpts from Biden's DNI pick Avril Haines' opening statement," January 19, 2021
2. ↑ United States Senate, "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Avril Danica Haines, of New York, to be Director of National Intelligence)," January 20, 2021
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Biden-Harris Transition, "President-Elect Biden Announces Key Members of Foreign Policy and National Security Team," November 23, 2020
4. ↑ CRS Report for Congress, "Senate Confirmation Process: An Overview," accessed July 24, 2013
5. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 4, 2019
6. ↑ PBS, "Senate confirms Avril Haines as director of national intelligence," January 20, 2021
7. ↑ At the time of Burns' confirmation, director of the Central Intelligence Agency was not a Cabinet-level position in the Biden administration. Biden elevated the position to Cabinet-level on July 21, 2023.

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