Biden's USAID nominee confirmed by Senate

Samantha Power is one of several Obama era officials serving in the Biden administration. She said delivering aid to Libya and Yemen would be among her priorities at the foreign aid agency.

AL-MONITOR Staff
AL-MONITOR Staff
Samantha Power, nominee to be Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, testifies at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 23, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Samantha Power, nominee to be Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, testifies at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 23, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. — Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images

Samantha Power was confirmed to lead the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Wednesday. 

Power was confirmed by a vote of 68 to 26 in the US Senate to serve as administrator of USAID, which carries out the US government’s foreign aid. 

The Irish-American civil servant served as ambassador to the United Nations and on the National Security Council under former President Barack Obama. She is one of many Obama era officials to be nominated to high profile positions by US President Joe Biden.

The vote was less partisan than some other Biden nominees. For comparison, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s nomination passed 56 votes to 42, in large part due to her legacy as chief Iran nuclear deal negotiator. 

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