Before his inauguration on January 20th, 2021, President-elect Joe Biden must assemble his Cabinet, which consists of the heads of 15 of the most key departments in the nation, the most notable ones being education, defense, health and human services, and labor, as well as White House staff members. Many of these positions must be confirmed by the Senate. As of now, Biden has already made many selections, and his Cabinet is on track to be the most diverse in American history.

Biden appointed Ron Klein for Chief of Staff and has made Steve Ricchetti Counselor to the President, both of whom have worked with Biden in the past. Biden selected Jeff Zients to head the White House’s response to COVID-19, and he previously served as a top adviser to the Obama administration during the spread of the swine flu. The National Security Adviser is Jake Sullivan, who was Biden’s security adviser during Obama’s presidency. The Special Presidential Envoy for Climate is John Kerry, and the National Climate Adviser is Gina McCarthy. As implied by these title names, these officials will be key in our nation’s fight against climate change.

As for economic policy related positions, Janet Yellen is Biden’s pick for Secretary of the Treasury, and if confirmed, will be the first woman to hold this position. The chosen U.S. Trade Representative is Katherine Tai, and she is confirmed, she will be the first woman of color in this position. Appointments like these are ones that foreshadow what kind of newfound diversity Biden hopes to bring to the White House once he is inaugurated.

The positions related to national security are being taken by some people who have been working with the US government for decades, with Antony Blinken as the nominee for Secretary of State, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield as UN Ambassador. In this sector, there is also a lot of the promised diversity from the Biden campaign. Retired General Lloyd Austin has been chosen for Secretary of Defense, and if confirmed, will be the first African American to hold this position. Secretary of Homeland Security is projected to be Alejandro Mayorkas, meaning that for the first time, an immigrant of Latino descent may be in this office. Avril Haines, if confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, will be the first woman in this position.

Pete Buttigieg, who ran against Joe Biden in the primaries, has been nominated for Secretary of Transportation. This selection is monumental for the LGBTQ+ community because a confirmation would make him the first openly gay person to hold a Cabinet position in American history. The nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services is Xavier Becerra, whom we can assume will also be playing a role in the COVID-19 response. If confirmed, he will be the first Latino to lead this department. Biden nominated Deb Haaland for the Secretary of Interior, a position that is responsible for leading affairs related to American land, and her confirmation would make her the first Indigenous woman in the Cabinet. Another person that might be working in the fight against climate change is Michael Regan, who is the nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

This is just a peek at Biden’s Cabinet, so to see more nominees and view specific information on officials, visit this article. There are still many roles, such as Attorney General and CIA Director, that Biden has yet to make nominations for, but so far, it appears to be that a main goal of this Cabinet is to make up for the years and years of a White House that lacked the diversity that mirrors the true identity of the American people.

Source:
NPR