Vice President Kamala Harris has kept a low profile since losing the election to President-elect Trump, vacationing in Hawaii with second gentleman Doug Emhoff since last week.
Harris arrived in Kalaoa, Hawaii, on Tuesday for what is expected to be a weeklong trip, a break from the rigorous campaign schedule she kept over the last couple of months but also from her duties as vice president, where she retains her tie-breaking vote as president of the Senate during the last few months of President Biden’s administration.
The timing of the vice president’s trip has generated questions, with some noting that many DNC staffers are uncertain about their futures while others had been surprised by sudden layoffs.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials in Chicago, on June 24, 2022. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the Harris vacation during a Thursday briefing, arguing there was nothing “wrong” with the vice president taking a vacation.
The vice president has taken time off to go spend time with her family. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I think she deserves some time to be with her family and to have some downtime. She has worked very hard over – for the last four years, and her taking a couple of days to be with her family, good for her. Good for her,” Jean-Pierre said.
Harris is still expected to play a critical role in helping Biden push through several judges as Democrats race against the clock to top the 234 that were confirmed during Trump’s first term, according to an NBC News report last week.
With the Democrats holding such a slim majority in the upper chamber, Harris broke the record last year for casting the most decisive votes of any vice president in history, the report notes, with Democrats expected to lean on the vice president once again in the coming weeks.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a concession speech on Nov. 6, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
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“This is something they want to clear the decks on,” a senior Harris aide told NBC News.
“She will definitely be available for any tie votes,” a second senior aide said.
“It is a big focus,” a third source told the outlet.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also said Tuesday that she was given notice that Harris would be available, though the senator had not personally talked to Harris, according to the report.
“The goal is to fill every judicial nomination that we can,” Warren said.
Vice President Kamala Harris listens as President Biden speaks about border security at the White House, Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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Meanwhile, a senior Harris aide told NBC News that the vice president had already delayed her trip in case she was needed in the Senate, though now many of those votes are expected to take place in December when Harris is back in Washington.
The Harris campaign and White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
