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    Confirmation process for Avril Haines for director of national intelligence

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 9 min

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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 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
    Democratic Party Democrats 46 0 2
    Republican Party Republicans 36 10 4
    Grey.png Independents 2 0 0
    Totals 84 10 6


    Ten Republican senators voted against her confirmation:[2]

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

    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 status, confirmation hearings, and committee and Senate votes for each of Biden's Cabinet and Cabinet-rank nominees.[6]

    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) TBD TBD
    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[7] 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[8] 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]

    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. ↑ Politico reported that the director of the Central Intelligence Agency would not be part of the Cabinet in Biden's administration. For this reason, the confirmation process for William J. Burns is not included in this table.
    7. ↑ PBS, "Senate confirms Avril Haines as director of national intelligence," January 20, 2021
    8. ↑ 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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