election, only for Smith to win the regular election for the state's other Senate seat later that year. Tenure McSally was sworn in as a U.S. senator on January 3, 2019. On February 5, 2019, McSally voted for the Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019. Seven days later, along with fellow Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, she voted for S.47, a public land package. On February 14, McSally voted to confirm William Barr as Attorney General. On February 28, she voted to confirm Andrew Wheeler as EPA Administrator. In February 2020, she voted to acquit President Donald Trump of articles of impeachment on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. On January 16, 2020, McSally told CNN correspondent Manu Raju "you're a liberal hack. I'm not talking to you", when he asked her whether she would consider new evidence during Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. She later affirmed her remarks on Twitter and told Fox News's Laura Ingraham, "I'm a fighter pilot... I called it like it is." McSally's election campaign soon began selling the comments on t-shirts. Response to COVID-19 pandemic During the COVID-19 pandemic, McSally praised President Trump for his response to the crisis. On April 2, 2020, she called for the World Health Organization director general to step down. A Democratic super PAC targeted McSally over her coronavirus response and comments she made in early March saying that "calling on people to stay home from work or to skip spring break trips is 'too much of a panicked reaction.'" In May 2020, McSally said she would not commit to further coronavirus relief funding. She said that Democratic-voting states and cities, such as Chicago and New York, had mismanaged their budgets for decades and that they should not expect to get aid. A spokeswoman for her office later said her comments were not meant to be public. McSally has argued that, because of the pandemic, China should forgive U.S. debts. Committee assignments Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland Subcommittee on Personnel Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee on Water and Power (Chairwoman) Committee on Indian