Biden and domestic policy adviser Susan Rice met virtually with Black essential workers on Tuesday, including health care workers, child care workers and others from across the country to thank them for their work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

"You are heroes and your service, we honor. A disproportionate number of Black Americans serve as front-line workers and as first responders, putting yourselves at greater risk of contracting COVID-19," Rice said. "And one in four deaths from COVID-19 have been those of Black Americans, and so during this Black history month, we wanted to say thank you, to lift up your voices, and your service and your needs."

Biden listened to the participants and asked questions. He also touted his administration's COVID-19 relief bill, talking about how it would help industries and individuals. Biden said his administration is focusing on the needs "particularly of the most left behind community, the African American community."

Biden’s nominee for secretary of the interior, Rep. Deb Haaland, D-Ariz., appeared before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for the first round of questioning in her confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Haaland introduced herself in the native language of the Laguna Pueblo and thanked her family, her partner and her ancestors. She also acknowledged that the hearing was taking place on the native lands of the Anacostia, Piscataway and Nakochtank tribes.

She said her priorities would be valuing career employees at the Department of the Interior and promoting clean energy. For Native American communities, she said she would focus on bringing broadband access to them and addressing the high number of missing and murdered Native American women. She also talked about her support for a modern Civilian Conservation Corps as a way of offsetting potential job loss from a transition to cleaner energy.

“But we must also recognize that the energy industry is innovating, and our climate challenge must be addressed," she said in her opening statement. "Together we can work to position our nation and all of its people for success in the future, and I am committed to working cooperatively with all stakeholders, and all of Congress, to strike the right balance going forward.”

Throughout the hearing, when questioned about her past statements and positions, Haaland said that if confirmed she would be advancing Biden’s interests. She dodged a question about her stance on fracking, saying the president does not support a fracking ban.

In his opening statement, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said he was troubled by Haaland’s “radical” views, a sentiment also expressed by other Republicans on the committee. He said he would oppose Haaland’s nomination. During his questioning, Barrasso pressed Haaland on an October tweet that said Republicans don’t believe in science.

The committee will be back Wednesday at 10 a.m. for the second round of questioning.

-ABC News' Adia Robinson

The first hearing for Biden's pick to head the Department of Health and Human services, Xavier Becerra, ended Tuesday afternoon with little drama or contentious back-and-forths with Republicans despite their clear opposition to him on policy issues like abortion and health care.

Democratic senators highlighted Becerra's potential to make history as the first Latino to lead the department and his experience leading massive departments and in policy as a congressman for 24 years.

Only a handful of Republicans told Becerra to his face that they didn’t think he had the public health experience for the job, one of the key criticisms ahead of the hearing.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sharply criticized him to reporters as the hearing was ongoing. But McConnell’s remarks were a reminder: Being cordial at a hearing doesn’t mean Republicans are going to vote for Becerra.

Becerra will head to the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday at 2 p.m, which will advance a vote on his confirmation to the Senate floor.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

The White House continues to back Neera Tanden, Biden's pick to oversee the Office of Management and Budget, despite criticism from Republicans about her tweets that have been critical of conservatives.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked during a press briefing Tuesday if there were other people in consideration for the position, and she said there is only "one candidate" and that is Tanden.

"She has had 44 meetings now with senators of both parties, she's spoken with 15 senators from both parties since Friday," Psaki said. "Some of those were repeats of people she had spoken with previously but, as I noted yesterday, she's committed to rolling up her sleeves, having those conversations, answering questions as they come up, reiterating her commitment to working with people across the aisle."

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in his first line of questioning as a member of the Judiciary Committee, asked Garland how he could use his power as attorney general to make equal justice for all Americans a possibility.

Garland said he was "deeply aware" of the moment the country is in with regards to racial justice and that it was a substantial part of why he wants to be attorney general. He cited over-incarceration of Black Americans and other minorities, reducing the emphasis on prosecuting lower-level crimes like marijuana possession and the need for greater discretion to prosecutors in terms of not pursuing the harshest sentences for crimes that aren't of a violent nature.

Ossoff also said that Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery and asked Garland how he planned to use the DOJ's authority to ensure that local agencies are held to account.

"What I will say is that like many, many Americans I was shocked by what I saw in videos of Black Americans being killed over this last summer. That, I do think, created a moment in the national life that brought attention from people who had not seen what Black Americans and other members of communities of color had known for decades, but it did bring everything to the fore and created a moment," Garland said. "We have an opportunity to make dramatic changes and really bring forth equal justice under the law which is our commitment of the Justice Department for the Civil Rights Division is the place where we focus these -- these operations."

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin