Meet President-elect Biden's Cabinet and staff picks so far
President-elect Joe Biden will announce Merrick Garland as his pick for attorney general today. Here's a closer look at all of Biden's Cabinet and staff picks so far.
Antony Blinken, secretary of state
Joe Biden has picked Antony Blinken to serve as his secretary of state. Blinken, 58, served as deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser during the Obama administration and has close ties with Biden. If nominated and confirmed, he would be a leading force in the incoming administration’s bid to reframe the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world after four years in which President Donald Trump questioned longtime alliances.
Janet Yellen, treasury secretary
Janet Yellen, Biden’s nominee for treasury secretary, served as chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, when she placed a greater emphasis than previous Fed chairs on maximizing employment and less focus on price inflation. If confirmed, she would be the first woman to lead the department.
Merrick Garland, attorney general
President-elect Joe Biden has selected Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge who in 2016 was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court, as his attorney general, two people familiar with the selection process said Wednesday. In picking Garland, Biden is turning to an experienced judge who held senior positions at the Justice Department decades ago, including as a supervisor of the prosecution of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Garland has been on the federal appeals court in Washington since 1997. Before that, he had worked in private practice, as well as a federal prosecutor, a senior official in the Justice Department’s criminal division and as the principle associate deputy attorney general.
Lloyd Austin, defense secretary
Retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin has been nominated to be secretary of defense. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would be the first Black leader of the Pentagon. As a career military officer, the 67-year-old Austin is likely to face opposition from some in Congress and in the defense establishment who believe in drawing a clear line between civilian and military leadership of the Pentagon.
Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary
President-elect Joe Biden nominated Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor and Democratic presidential candidate, to return to his old job at the Agriculture Department, saying his eight years of experience there under former President Barack Obama would ensure quicker help to rural and poor areas that are “reeling” from the pandemic and economic downturn. Vilsack, 70, will become the Biden administration’s chief spokesman for rural America.
Xavier Becerra, health secretary
Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration's coronavirus response. If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services, a $1 trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines, leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans. Becerra, a former senior House Democrat, said that in Congress he helped pass the Affordable Care Act and as California’s attorney general he has defended it.
Marcia Fudge, housing and urban development secretary
President-elect Joe Biden selected Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary. Fudge, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was just elected to a seventh term representing a majority Black district that includes parts of Cleveland and Akron. Biden has viewed Fudge, 68, as a leading voice for working families and a longtime champion of affordable housing, infrastructure and other priorities.
Pete Buttigieg, transportation secretary
Biden introduced Democratic primary rival Pete Buttigieg as his nominee for transportation secretary, calling the 38-year-old ex-mayor “a new voice, with new ideas determined to move past old politics." Buttigieg, a former city leader of South Bend, Indiana, would also be the first openly gay person confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet post.
Jennifer Granholm, energy secretary
Biden will nominate former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as his energy secretary. Granholm, 61, served as Michigan’s attorney general from 1999 to 2003 and two terms as Michigan’s first female governor, from 2003 to 2010.
Deb Haaland, interior secretary
Biden has selected New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his nominee for interior secretary, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations. Haaland, 60, is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and, as she likes to say, a 35th-generation resident of New Mexico. The role of interior secretary would put her in charge of an agency that has tremendous sway not only over the nearly 600 federally recognized tribes, but also over much of the nation’s vast public lands, waterways, wildlife, national parks and mineral wealth.
Denis McDonough, veterans affairs secretary
Biden has nominated Denis McDonough, President Obama's former chief of staff, to serve as veterans affairs secretary. McDonough, 51, was previously Obama’s deputy national security adviser, including during the Navy SEAL raid in 2011 that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and was a longtime congressional staffer.
Alejandro Mayorkas, homeland security secretary
Alejandro Mayorkas, 61, has been nominated to be Biden's secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and would be the first Latino to head the agency. Mayorkas, a former deputy secretary at DHS, will be tasked with rebuilding the department that the Trump administration used to enforce its border policy, including family separation at the US-Mexico border.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations
Biden nominated Linda Thomas-Greenfield as his U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Thomas-Greenfield, a low-key, veteran foreign service officer, reflects the president-elect's intent to return to a more traditional role at the world body as well as offer an olive branch to a beleaguered diplomatic corps. She is a 35-year veteran of the State Department who served as ambassador to Liberia, director general of the foreign service and top diplomat for Africa before being forced out during the early months of the Trump administration.
Jake Sullivan, national security adviser
Biden's named Jake Sullivan to serve as his national security adviser. The position does not require Senate confirmation. At 43, he will be one of the youngest national security advisers in history.
Avril Haines, director of national intelligence
Avril Haines, a former deputy director of the CIA, has been picked to serve as director of national intelligence, the first woman to hold that post,
John Kerry, climate envoy
John Kerry, one of the leading architects of the Paris climate agreement, is getting one more chance to lead the fight against climate change after President-elect Joe Biden named the longtime senator and former secretary of state as climate envoy for national security. At 76, Kerry has the stature to help him make deals with foreign governments on global climate efforts. But he's up to a half-century or more older than the activists who pushed climate change to the forefront of national politics over the past four years.
Gina McCarthy, domestic climate chief
Biden will tap Gina McCarthy, a former Environmental Protection Agency chief, for the powerful new position of domestic climate chief to run his ambitious climate plans across the federal government. McCarthy, 66, served as EPA administrator from 2013 to 2017 during President Barack Obama’s second term and was assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation in Obama’s first term.
Neera Tanden, director of the office of management and budget
Withdrawn: Neera Tanden was Biden’s choice for director of the office of management and budget. Tanden, 50, is the president and CEO of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress and was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign. She first made her mark in the Clinton orbit, and served as policy director for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential race.
Michael Regan, EPA administrator
North Carolina official Michael Regan would be the first African American man to run the Environmental Protection Agency. Regan, the state environmental head since 2017, has made a name for himself by pursuing cleanups of industrial toxins and helping the low-income and minority communities significantly affected by pollution.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, surgeon general
Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, a co-chair of Biden’s coronavirus task force, is returning to his post as the nation's doctor, with broader responsibilities.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director
Biden picked a Harvard infectious disease expert, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Walensky is a leading infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and has devoted her career to combatting HIV/AIDS.
Susan Rice, director of White House Domestic Policy Council
Biden is naming Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, giving her broad sway over his administration’s approach to immigration, health care and racial inequality and elevating the prominence of the position in the West Wing. The move marks a surprising shift for Rice, a longtime Democratic foreign policy expert who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser and U.N. ambassador.
Ron Klain, chief of staff
Ron Klain will serve as White House chief of staff. His gilded resume, deep knowledge of the gears and levers of power in the capital and decadeslong association with Biden have also done something unusual in today’s Washington: drawn praise from both sides of the ideological divide. The 59-year-old father of three has a reputation among Democrats and, strikingly, even some Republicans for competence.
Jen Psaki, press secretary
Biden has tapped Jen Psaki to serve as press secretary. She's a veteran communications staffer who has worked on many top Democratic campaigns and held leading roles under President Barack Obama, including deputy press secretary and White House communications director, as well as spokesperson for the State Department.
Cedric Richmond, senior adviser
Rep. Cedric Richmond, 47, will be a senior adviser to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. He’s expected to engage with Congress and focus on the Black community and other minority groups. He is the only Democrat and only Black member of Louisiana's congressional delegation.
With Democrats chairing committees in the Senate and only needing a majority to win floor votes on nominations, Biden is now assured of sealin…