Washington: The Democratic-led US Senate began confirming new President Barack Obama's Cabinet on Tuesday, but it put off until Wednesday a vote on the designee for secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
In a single unanimous vote, the Senate confirmed Steven Chu as energy secretary, Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary, Arne Duncan as education secretary, Ken Salazar as interior secretary and Janet Napolitano as secretary of homeland security.
It also approved Peter Orszag as head of the White House budget office. Obama's fellow Democrats had wanted Clinton also approved on Tuesday.
The Senate confirmed all six with a single voice vote a little more than three hours after Obama took the oath of office to become the 44th president.
But Democratic hopes to add Clinton to that list were sidetracked when one senator, Republican John Cornyn, objected to the unanimous vote.
The Wednesday vote became necessary when Cornyn objected to the voice vote. In the Senate, a single senator can block measures from being approved by voice.
He said he wanted "a full and open debate and an up-or-down vote on Senator Clinton's nomination." He said important questions remain unanswered concerning the foundation headed by former President Bill Clinton "and its acceptance of donations from foreign entities. Transparency transcends partisan politics and the American people deserve to know more."
Cornyn's spokesman Kevin McLaughlin said the senator is not trying to block her confirmation, but is seeking more debate on the donation issue.
Several Republicans raised questions at Clinton's confirmation hearing about possible conflicts of interest from Bill Clinton's fundraising work and his acceptance of large donations from foreign countries and companies.
A vote on that nomination was scheduled for Wednesday.
The Senate traditionally moves quickly to affirm the new president's Cabinet.
Eight years ago the Senate approved seven members of President George W Bush's Cabinet, including Colin Powell to be secretary of state.
On Bill Clinton's first day in office in 1993, the Senate gave the go-ahead for the secretaries of state, defense and treasury. They next day it approved eight more Cabinet officers.
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