Senate confirmed President Obama's pick for Secretary of the Air Force The Senate has confirmed President Barack Obama's pick to serve as Secretary of the Air Force, continuing a series of round-the-clock confirmation votes. Deborah Lee James was confirmed by a 79-6 vote Friday morning, one of several votes scheduled throughout the day. She is the second woman to lead the Air Force. James is president of the Technical and Engineering Sector at Science Applications International Corp., a major federal government contractor. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has kept the Senate in session throughout the week as Democrats push through 11, mostly noncontroversial nominations. The session could culminate in a possible vote on Jeh Johnson (jay JAHN'-suhn) to head the Department of Homeland Security. If Republicans keep their allotted debate time, the Senate could be in session continuously into Saturday.