President Joe Biden on Wednesday will sign a package of executive orders elevating climate change at every level of the federal government, a move that the administration says will put the United States on the path to reducing its share of emissions that are warming the planet. The orders will Take a Whole-of-Government Approach to the Climate Crisis and among other things formally establishes the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, led by the first-ever National Climate Advisor and Deputy National Climate Advisor, creating a central office in the White House that is charged with coordinating and implementing the President’s domestic climate agenda. White House Fact Sheet. Coinciding with the executive orders was the Senate Energy Committee Hearing this morning for former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to be Secretary of Energy.
Press secretary Jen Psaki will be joined by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy at her 12:15 p.m. briefing.
Also today the Senate will continue to hold hearings on cabinet officials nominated to the Biden Administration:
10 a.m.: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has a full committee hearing on the nomination Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be the representative to the United Nations.
10 a.m.: The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has a full committee meeting to organize for the 117th Congress and then has a markup to vote on the nomination of Pete Buttigieg to be Transportation secretary.
Senators were sworn in as jurors on Tuesday in the second impeachment trial of former President Donald J. Trump for inciting an insurrection, with proceedings scheduled to get underway on February 9th. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), the president pro tempore who will be presiding over the trial in the absence of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Vice President Kamala Harris, administered the oath to senators. Senators then signed the oath book declaring their intent to serve as impartial jurors. The Senate voted down a motion brought by Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul challenging the constitutionality of an impeachment trial against a former president. But just five Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the measure, an indication that Democrats will not attract the 17 Republicans that would be needed to convict Mr. Trump at trial. The five Republicans opposing the measure were: Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse and Pat Toomey
