WASHINGTON – Around 5 a.m. Friday in the nation s capital, bleary-eyed senators who had spent hours debating a COVID-19 relief bill looked up to see Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over the chamber.
Within minutes, she would cast two important, tiebreaking votes on a budget resolution, clearing the way for what Democrats hope is the quick passage of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that President Joe Biden sees as necessary to ramp up vaccine distribution and get America back on its economic feet.
Harris vote could presage a busy legislative role for her: The likely tiebreaking vote in an evenly split Senate deeply divided over policy. It s an action seldom taken throughout history, but it may turn out to be a crucial tool the Biden administration uses to move appointments and priorities through Congress.
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See President Biden’s cabinet picks below and learn how they are likely to affect K-12 education.
Agriculture
Former Iowa Governor and former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack speaks during an event on Nov. 23, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa.Justin Hayworth/AP
Biden’s pick to lead the Agriculture Department, former Secretary Tom Vilsack, held the same role in the Obama administration.
In his previous tenure, Vilsack played a key role in implementing and defending heightened nutrition standards for school meals that were championed by former first lady Michelle Obama. Those rules, which have been rolled back under the Trump administration, called for less sodium and fat and more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in school meals.
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