Senate confirms 6 for Obama's cabinet, but makes Clinton wait
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 | 4:12 PM ET
CBC News
The objection of a single Republican senator thwarted the plans of Hillary Clinton to be confirmed as U.S. secretary of state on Tuesday.
Just after 3 p.m. ET, the U.S. Senate swiftly endorsed six members of President Barack Obama's cabinet, but put off a vote on Clinton's confirmation for one day because Republican John Cornyn of Texas objected to a unanimous voice vote in her case.
Cornyn said he continues to have concerns over non-Americans who might be making large donations to the charitable foundation run by Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton.
That means a roll-call vote to confirm Hillary Clinton as Obama's foreign envoy will be held on Wednesday.
Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, predicted earlier Tuesday that "she will receive overwhelming bipartisan support" at that time.
The cabinet members confirmed Tuesday were:
- Steven Chu, energy secretary.
- Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary.
- Arne Duncan, education secretary.
- Ken Salazar, interior secretary.
- Janet Napolitano, secretary of homeland security.
- Peter Orszag, head of the White House budget office.
Last week, the U.S. Senate foreign relations committee voted 16-1 to endorse Clinton as the next secretary of state. A Republican senator from Louisiana on the committee cast the only vote against her nomination.
Clinton was Obama's chief rival during the Democratic presidential primary.
With files from the Associated PressShare Tools
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