The Senate on Thursday confirmed President Biden’s nomination to head the Office of Government Ethics by a 50-46 vote, giving him a term that will last through President-elect Trump’s term.

David Huitema, currently the ethics officer at the State Department, will assume the role of governmentwide ethics czar over a five-year period. As the former and soon-to-be president once again brings a host of potential conflicts of interest to the Oval Office, Senate Democrats have sought to prioritize confirmation of the Biden administration in the waning days of the Biden administration and their control of the chamber ahead of Trump’s inauguration.

What further highlights Huitema’s role is Trump’s decision so far to refuse to sign agreements with the Biden administration and the ethics agreements that go with them, enabling a formal presidential transition to occur. Without these agreements, Trump’s teams will not be able to deploy to agencies and receive briefings from career employees.

OGE has been without a confirmed director for more than a year, when Trump appointee Emory Rounds’ term expired. Shelley Finlayson, the ethics agency’s chief of staff and program advisor, served in the role. During his first term, Trump bypassed Finlayson and replaced him with another career official as acting director at a time when there was no confirmed director.

Rounds has had some high-profile meetings with Trump during his tenure. OGE is heavily involved in political appointments and often communicates with the White House on a daily basis to help organize candidates’ statements and agreements.

Tours in 2019 He warned the Trump administration He said the agencies cannot unilaterally change their ethics rules without approval from the Office of Government Ethics and has threatened to cancel any ethics agreements with officials who refuse to comply with the office’s demands.

After the rounds, he engaged in a long back-and-forth conversation with then-Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Refused to confirm Ross’ financial disclosureIt contained inaccuracies and did not comply with the secretary’s agreement to avoid conflicts of interest through divestitures. Rounds’ office similarly refused to confirm then-Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s statement.

David Apol, who served as acting OGE director in 2017 when Trump ousted Finlayson, responded to reports that Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on private, charter flights and that several other Trump officials were facing criminal charges against him. then responded to his resignation. The administration abused their power by sending a letter to their political appointees telling them to act more ethically.

“I am deeply concerned that the actions of some in government leadership are damaging perceptions of the importance of ethics and what behavior is and is not permissible,” Apol said at the time. “I encourage you to consider taking action to redouble your commitment to ethics in government.”

Senate Democrats tried to replace Huitema’s nomination with a unanimous confirmation request in September, but Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, objected. Lee said Huitema would handle “partisan law” and that only the next president should make the appointment.

Walt Shaub, who served as OGE director under President Obama and briefly under Trump, praised the Senate for securing Huitema’s confirmation, even though he suggested Biden’s nominee might not finish his five-year term.

“Trump’s firing of Huitema after taking office could be a hollow victory for government ethics,” Shaub said. “Even if Trump does not fire Huitema, OGE will not be able to prevent Trump’s top appointees from pursuing conflicting financial interests if the Senate agrees to Trump’s demand that lawmakers conspire to bypass or bypass the constitutional ratification process.”

Trump called for the Senate to abandon its advice and consent role and instead allow recess appointments. Shaub suggested Huitema be careful that Trump’s attempts to circumvent the ethics law “don’t become mere window dressing.”

During his confirmation hearing, Huitema said he would enter office at a critical time.

“We must support each other in boldly providing sound ethical guidance, even when it is unwelcome, and ensuring ethics laws are enforced when necessary,” he said.