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The US Senate has confirmed Merrick Garland as the next US attorney general and Marcia Fudge to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Democrats have admired Garland (a federal appeals court judge) who was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court in 2016. He is a highly qualified and honorable jurist who is uniquely qualified to lead the department with a 70-30 vote. Many Republicans also admired him and said he has the right record and temperament for the moment. Garland insisted that the attorney general must be loyal to him personally because it is a position that formerly abused the reputation of the department. Attorney General William Barr resigned in the last month of Trump’s presidency after denying Trump’s false claims that widespread electoral fraud had led to his defeat.

Point to be noted that former President Trump pressured officials in his administration including former attorney general Barr and Jeff Sessions over the department’s probe into his campaign’s connection to Russia. It initiated criticism from Democrats as they were alleged for politicizing the nation’s top law enforcement agencies. The US Senate also confirmed Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Fudge has represented parts of Cleveland and Akron in the House since 2008. She is a former mayor and a longtime advocate for assistance for the needy. She said at her confirmation hearing in January that her first priority would be protecting the millions of people who have fallen behind on rent or mortgages due to loss of income during the pandemic.

She informed senators that we can’t afford to allow people in the middle of a pandemic to be put in the streets. Her confirmation with 66-34 vote came as the Senate is approving a slate of President Biden’s nominees. On Wednesday, the upper chamber confirmed Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general Wednesday afternoon and could vote to confirm North Carolina regulator Michael Regan to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as soon as Wednesday evening if the nomination clears a procedural vote earlier in the day. It is noteworthy that Fudge won bipartisan support for her nomination including from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. He said, “These aren’t the nominees that any Republican would have picked for these jobs. But the nation needs presidents to be able to stand up a team so long as their nominees are qualified and mainstream”.