Two Texans Endorsed By Biden Advance Nominations To Lead Federal Agencies

San Antonio’s Rob Santos and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez have advanced the nominations on the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Tapped by President Joe Biden, Rob Santos is the nominee to lead the Census Bureau, while Gonzalez would lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

While Santos, who is currently president of the American Statistical Association and -would be the first person of color to lead the Census Bureau -advanced with a 10-3 vote, Gonzalez had every Republican on the committee voting against him.

This is mainly due to Gonzalez’s past criticism of ICE, which GOP members find troubling. He advanced the nomination with a 7-6 vote, which means Democrats may need to break the tie with Vice President Harris’ vote

According to the Houston Chronicle, it’s unclear when the Senate will vote on the nominations. Presidential nominees need only 51 votes in the Senate to be confirmed. The two parties each control 50 votes in the Senate, but as president of the chamber, Harris, a Democrat, can break ties.