Emperor Mitch has ceded lots of power to the Executive Branch. For example, cabinet confirmations..

[kurtcagle]

5. No

One of the most important things that Biden will need to do over the course of the next four years is to restore the integrity associated with the office of POTUS. Now, dealing with McConnell will be a pain, but there is a good reason for seeking Congressional approval: it proves the competence of the people that you are hiring, and gives competing interests the ability to interview them.

However, this also means walking a tight rope between propriety and reality. Biden knows McConnell as a colleague. He also knows associated carrots and sticks to working with the man. It's worth noting that while McConnell blocked a fair amount of Obama + Biden's legislation, they did get things passed. Biden is actually in a pretty rare position - he's worked with many of these same people for a long time, and he knows how to get things done. Trump bulldozed, but he actually got very little actual legislature passed.