Biden renominates stalled picks for key administration posts
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[January 04, 2023]
By Trevor Hunnicutt and David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday renominated a
number of stalled picks for a slate of federal posts including nominees
to head the Internal Revenue Service, Federal Aviation Administration,
ambassador to India and a Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
member, the White House said.
The selections did not get approved by the U.S. Senate which was split
50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, with Vice President Kamala
Harris breaking ties. The new Senate convened on Tuesday.
Democrats since January 2021 have been unable to command a majority of
the five-member FCC, the telecommunications regulator, preventing them
from moving forward on some key priorities including reinstating
landmark net neutrality rules revoked under former President Donald
Trump.
Biden nominated Democrat Gigi Sohn, a former senior aide to Tom Wheeler
when he was chair of the FCC under President Barack Obama, to fill the
key fifth seat in October 2021.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jan/04/images/ads/current/charrons_bch_2022.png)
The FAA has been without a permanent administrator since March 31. The
Senate Commerce Committee has yet to hold a hearing on Biden's pick to
head the FAA, Denver International Airport Chief Executive Phil
Washington. Washington had faced criticism from Republicans after he was
named in a search warrant tying him to corruption allegations at the Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Washington, a former CEO of the Los Angeles public transport system, has
denied wrongdoing.
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![](../images/010423PIX/news_h23.jpg)
U.S. President Joe Biden is greeted by
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti upon his arrival in Los Angeles
California, U.S., October 12, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File
Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jan/04/images/ads/current/atlantabank_quarter_LUAL_2022.png)
The FAA's top aviation safety official, Billy Nolen, has been
running the agency on an interim basis.
Biden is also renominating Eric Garcetti to serve as ambassador to
India.
Garcetti, who was Los Angeles mayor from 2013 until a term limit
pushed him from office last year, is close to Biden and co-chaired
his 2020 presidential campaign.
But his nomination was stalled in the Senate as even some Democrats
expressed concern about allegations that he ignored complaints about
sexual harassment and abusive language by some of his political
allies. Garcetti has denied wrongdoing.
Biden also renominated Dilawar Syed to be deputy administrator of
the Small Business Administration after Republicans last year held
up a vote due to the nominee’s association with an advocacy group
that has been critical of Israel.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and David Shepardson in Washington;
Writing by Ismail Shakil and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Caitlin
Webber and Matthew Lewis)
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