Congress Sets Confirmation Hearings

With 20 days to go before Obama’s inauguration, Congress has some serious work to do when it reconvenes next week. End the Great Recession, you say? Well, yes, but more important is the Obama team’s confirmation hearings. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s top aide says the first priority before the inauguration will be the national security and finance teams, though dates for the Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geithner hearings have yet to be set. First up: Health appointee Tom Daschle on January 8 and Labor Secretary-select Hilda Solis on January 9. Prospective Education Secretary Arne Duncan faces a January 13 grilling, while the most intriguing hearing of all may be attorney general hopeful Eric Holder on January 15. Holder’s role in pardoning terrorists and fraudster Mark Rich is sure to give him trouble.