On Wednesday (Jan. 20), the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Avril Haines as director of national intelligence (DNI) in the Biden administration, making Haines the first woman in history to lead the U.S. intelligence community.
On Wednesday (Jan. 20), the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Avril Haines as director of national intelligence (DNI) in the Biden Administration, making Haines the first woman in history to lead the U.S. intelligence community.
The Senate voted 84-10 to confirm Haines hours after President Biden was sworn in, making her the first Biden Cabinet official to be confirmed.
Haynes, who was confirmed Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, vowed to “establish a strategic vision” for the intelligence community to ensure that the United States is “prepared to address evolving threats and take advantage of new opportunities.
Haynes served as deputy director of the Central Security Agency and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Obama administration, the first woman to hold both positions.
“We should provide the intelligence necessary to support the long-term bipartisan effort to defeat China (the Chinese Communist Party),” Haynes said of China during Tuesday’s hearing.
She said both Republican and Democratic senators have pressed the importance of the Chinese (Communist Party) intelligence threat, and she said putting more resources into (dealing with) the China (Communist Party issue) is a top priority.
“Our approach to China (the CCP) must evolve and fundamentally meet the reality of the particularly assertive and aggressive China (CCP) that we see today,” she said. “In a sense, I do support an aggressive approach to the challenges that we face.”
In response to the senator’s question of whether China (CCP) is an adversary of the United States, she said China (CCP) is an adversary on some issues and the United States needs to work with China on others.
Haynes’ confirmation continues a recent Senate precedent of confirming Cabinet nominees on the day a new president is sworn in, but the Biden administration has confirmed fewer nominees than his predecessors.
CNN reported that Republican and Democratic senators said Wednesday that confirmation of Biden’s other Cabinet nominees may be difficult to get through quickly because Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer need to reach an agreement on a resolution outlining how they will share power in the Senate.
In addition to Haynes, Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen is another Cabinet secretary who could receive a quick vote for confirmation in the Senate, but would still need a bipartisan agreement to vote on the Treasury nomination.
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