Biden says 'no time to waste' on COVID relief bill
He made brief remarks Saturday after the House passed the legislation.
This is Day 40 of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Latest headlines:
Biden's AG pick to face questions before Senate Judiciary Committee
Merrick Garland, Biden's pick for attorney general, could face tricky political questions during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. In the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Garland and Democrats are expected to point to Garland's work prosecuting the Oklahoma City bombing as evidence of his ability to investigate and prosecute domestic terrorism.
"If confirmed, I will supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6 – a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government,” Garland will say.
Garland's opening statement also conveys a commitment to equity, saying that upholding the Civil Rights Act remains "urgent" for the Department of Justice. Garland has received ample bipartisan support, ahead of his confirmation hearings before Senate Judiciary Monday and Tuesday, 61 former federal judges and a bipartisan group of more than 150 former Justice Department officials have penned letters in support of Garland's confirmation.
-ABC News' Alexander Mallin and Benjamin Siegel
Top Republican floats alternative candidate to head OMB
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., a top Republican on the Appropriations Committee, is throwing his weight behind an alternative nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget: Shalanda Young.
Young was nominated by Biden to be deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. Young was most recently the staff director at House Appropriations, and she and Shelby have a close working relationship.
“I believe she would be good in that role. She’s smart, she knows the process inside-out, and she’s an honest broker who has demonstrated the ability to work with both sides and get things done. She would have my support, and I suspect many of my Republican colleagues would support her, as well," Shelby said in a statement. "But that’s up to the Biden Administration.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Shelby's support on Wednesday and the possibility of Young being a Neera Tanden replacement, but she made clear that the White House maintains support for Tanden.
-ABC News' Trish Turner