Cruz had stalled Biden’s appointments because he opposes the sanctions waiver for Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline being built from Russia to Germany and that the United States and Eastern European countries fear will embolden Moscow and weaken Ukraine. The Biden administration shares the concerns, but argues that the pipeline was nearly complete when he took office. Instead, it has reached an agreement with Germany that includes increased support for Ukraine.
Speaking to the press on August 2, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that more than 65 candidates were awaiting confirmation for “crucial national security positions.” “They include overseeing security at our embassies and facilities around the world and helping to eliminate the delay in applying for passports caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The American people need these services,” Blinken said.
Due to the nomination and confirmation process, the United States often has vacancies at the beginning of administrations, but the current delay – almost seven months after Biden took office – is unusually long.
Finally, the Senate confirmed Biden’s cabinet appointments, including that of the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Who is the new US ambassador to Mexico?
Salazar was elected as a senator for the state of Colorado in 2004, but resigned to take over as secretary of the interior with Barack Obama. When he left that position in 2013, he joined the international law firm WilmerHale, where he still practices. During Biden’s campaign, he served as co-chair of the Latino leadership committee.
Now he will take over an often rocky relationship with Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who forged an unexpected alliance with Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, a fervent critic of immigration.
At his confirmation hearing, Salazar said he would work with Mexico to “secure” shared borders and create an orderly, safe and humane framework for migration, “a key political issue in the United States.