Senate confirms former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to lead federal agency
The U.S. Senate June 23 confirmed former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to lead the General Services Administration.
The 12,000-person agency manages the federal government’s real estate, its vehicles, IT and other resources that maintain the functions of the federal government.
A member of one Missouri’s prominent political families, Carnahan, 59, easily found broad bipartisan support.
Her nomination sailed through the Senate with a voice vote, in contrast to the bitter debate over Kiran Ahuja’s confirmation to lead the Office of Personnel Management. Ahuja required Vice President Kamala Harris to cast a tie-breaking vote.
Carnahan had the enthusiastic backing of Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, who squared off against the Democrat for an open Senate seat in 2010. Blunt hailed Carnahan’s qualifications for the role.
She is former director of state and local practice at 18F, a digital services agency within GSA which works with other government agencies to improve their websites. During a confirmation hearing earlier this month, Carnahan emphasized the importance of this aspect of the job during the 21st Century.
“We can’t implement government policy if we can’t make the damn websites work,” she said.
The position of general services administrator, typically low-profile, came under close scrutiny in the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 election. President Joe Biden could not formally begin the transition process until the agency issued a letter of ascertainment that acknowledged him as the winner of the election.
Former General Services Administrator Emily Murphy waited two weeks to issue the letter as former President Donald Trump baselessly disputed the election results.
If Carnahan remains in the role through 2024, it’ll up to her to issue the letter affirming the winner of the next election. Carnahan served as Missouri’s top election official from 2005 to 2013.
“She’s an outstanding choice for that position and will do a tremendous job,” said Jason Kander, a Kansas City Democrat who succeeded Carnahan as Missouri secretary of state. “She’ll be professional and entirely nonpartisan and non-political. Such an incredible departure from the previous administration’s approach to that role.”
The role will give Carnahan significant power over the government’s financial and physical management. The agency manages roughly $500 billion in federal property and has an annual budget of nearly $21 billion. It also oversees $66 billion in federal procurement contracts annually.
She is the daughter of two-term Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan and former Sen. Jean Carnahan, who became the first woman to represent Missouri in the Senate after her husband died shortly before the 2000 election. Carnahan’s brother, former Rep. Russ Carnahan, also served four terms in the U.S. House.
This story was originally published June 23, 2021 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Senate confirms former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to lead federal agency."
