Caption This: President Trump Posts Photo of First Cabinet Meeting
Trump Lies, Blames Democrats for His Last Four Open Positions
President Donald Trump on Monday posted to his @POTUS Twitter account this photo of his first cabinet meeting:
Proud to welcome our great Cabinet members to the @WhiteHouse this afternoon with @VP Pence. pic.twitter.com/nwnSqk8wST
— President Trump (@POTUS) March 13, 2017
Given the sea of white, male faces, it’s surprising someone in the White House press office didn’t ensure that Dr. Ben Carson, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Elaine Chao, the Secretary of Transportation, weren’t in the picture.
On his personal Twitter account Trump posted an additional three images which included Carson and Chao, so they were present today:
Proud to welcome our great Cabinet this afternoon for our first meeting. Unfortunately 4 seats were empty because Senate Dems are delaying! pic.twitter.com/mykytxPkD9
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2017
Regardless, The New York Times makes it clear: “President Trump’s cabinet is shaping up to have a smaller percentage of women and nonwhites than the first cabinets of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George Bush.”
Trump also lied, claiming the Democrats are to blame for the fact that he still has four Cabinet positions unconfirmed. That’s false.
Roll Call last week reported Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture nominee, Sonny Perdue, “appears to be on hold because the Senate Agriculture Committee has yet to receive his paperwork.”Â
“Trump’s pick for Labor secretary, Alex Acosta, has yet to complete his financial disclosure process with the OGE,” the Office of Government Ethics, Roll Call adds.
“A Senate confirmation hearing for Acosta will not be scheduled until the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee receives a completed questionnaire from Acosta and the finalized paperwork from the OGE, said a spokesman for the panel’s chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.”
Last week a committee advanced Trump’s nominee to be the director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, to the full Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not yet scheduled a vote by the full Senate.
Lastly, Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s nominee to be U.S. trade representative, is scheduled to have his hearing Tuesday.
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