Senate confirms Marty Walsh as labor secretary, completing Biden's Cabinet with surprisingly little drama

Marty Walsh
(Image credit: Graeme Jennings/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

The Senate on Monday voted 68 to 29 to confirm Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as labor secretary, making him the first person from a union background to lead the Labor Department in nearly 50 years. With Walsh's confirmation, President Biden now has all 15 Cabinet secretaries in place at the top of major executive departments. It also makes Biden "the first president in more than 30 years to have all of his original Cabinet secretary nominees confirmed to their posts," CNN notes.

Despite a late start to the confirmation process, high partisan polarization in Congress, and an impeachment trial, Biden won confirmation for all his major Cabinet secretaries faster than either of his two predecessors, Donald Trump and Barack Obama — partly because they had to pull nominees who faced defeat in the Senate.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.