By Maler Suresh
Source: theguardian.com
President-elect Joe Biden is currently in the process of picking his advisors and Cabinet nominees in preparation for his inauguration on January 20th. Many of his picks do not require US Senate confirmation and are people who he has worked with on his presidential campaign or, even farther back, were part of his staff when he was Vice President. Biden has often said that he wants his administration to “look like the country,” but after naming a White man (Antony Blinken) and a White woman (Janet Yellen) to serve head the State Department and Treasury, two of the four top positions in Cabinet, there is mounting pressure for Biden nominate people of color for the remaining two premier positions (Attorney General and Secretary of Defense.) To many Americans, the people Biden nominates to his Cabinet will be an indication of whether his administration will mark a new period of reform for the country or a return to safe politics. Listed below are brief descriptions of the people President-elect Biden has nominated for positions within his Cabinet.
KEY WHITE HOUSE STAFF
Chief of Staff- Ron Klain
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Determine the goals and direction of White House staff in support of the President’s agenda
Who is he?: Klain has been a longtime aide to President-elect Biden, and he was Biden’s Chief of Staff when he was Vice President. Klain oversaw the White House response to the Ebola epidemic in 2014. Outside of government, Klain was also executive vice president for the investment firm Revolution
Deputy Chief of Staff-Jen O’Malley Dillon
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Run day-to-day operations of White House staff
Who is he?: Dillon was Biden’s campaign manager, and he has worked with seven presidential campaigns. He is also the former executive director of the Democratic National Committee.
Counselor to the President-Steve Ricchetti
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Give advice to the President
Who is he?: Ricchetti was Chief of Staff to Biden when he was Vice President. Ricchetti was a deputy chief of staff under Bill Clinton and is a former lobbyist.
National Security Adviser-Jake Sullivan
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Top advisor on matters of National Security
Who is he?: Sullivan was national security advisor to Biden when he was Vice President, and he was a lead negotiator in talks that led to the Iran nuclear deal.
Director, Office of Management and Budget-Neera Tanden
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?:Prepare the administration’s budget proposal to Congress and review regulations proposed by agencies.
Who is she?: Tanden is CEO of the Center for American Progress (a left-leaning public policy research and advocacy organization.) She worked on the Affordable Care Act in the Department of Health and Human Services and was a campaign adviser to Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Director, National Economic Council-Brian Deese
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Top adviser on economic policy
Who is he?: Deese is the deputy director of the National Economic Council, and a top official at the Office of Management and Budget. Outside of government, he has worked at BlackRock as the head of sustainable investing and was a climate adviser under Obama.
Director, Office of Public Engagement-Cedric Richmond
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Coordinate between White House and other public organizations and coalitions
Who is he?: Richmond co-chaired Biden’s campaign. Richmond was a 5-term Louisiana congressman and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. He has also worked on criminal justice reform legislation.
Director, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs-Julie Chávez Rodriguez
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Coordinate between the White House and state and local governments
Who is she?: Rodriguez was Biden’s deputy campaign manager. She also had a senior role on Obama’s public engagement team, and she was the national political director for Kamala Harris’s presidential bid.
Senior Adviser to the President-Mike Donilon
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Oversee a wide range of decisions related to policy
Who is he?: Donilon was a chief strategist during Biden’s presidential campaign (led speechwriting, advertising,and polling,) and he has been part of six presidential campaigns. He was also Biden’s counselor when he was Vice President.
Director, Office of Legislative Affairs-Louisa Terrell
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Coordinate between the White House and Congress
Who is she?: Terrell worked on legislative affairs under Obama. She was also deputy chief of staff under Biden when he was a US Senator. Outside of government, she worked for Yahoo! and Facebook.
Director, White House Office of Presidential Personnel-Cathy Russell
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Top adviser to president on presidential appointments
Who is she?: Russell was the State Department ambassador on global women’s issues under Obama. She also worked in senior positions at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee, and Justice Department.
Counsel to the President-Dana Remus
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Top legal adviser
Who is she?: She was general counsel to Biden’s presidential campaign as well as the Obama Foundation. She was also the Deputy counsel for ethics under Obama. Outside government, she clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samual Alito
Communications Director-Kate Bedingfield
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Leads public relations team
Who is she?: Bedingfield was a communications director under Obama as well as for Biden’s presidential campaign. Outside government, she worked for the Motion Picture Association of America.
Press Secretary-Jen Psaki
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Does briefings with the media on behalf of the president
Who is she?: Psaki was communications director under Obama as well as a spokesperson for the State Department.
Principal Deputy Press Secretary-Karine Jean-Pierre
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Works with press secretary on presidential messages to the media
Who is she?: Jean-Pierre was Chief of Staff to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Previously, she was the chief of public affairs offices for MoveOn.org (a liberal organization created to mobilize for certain candidates or legislation) and worked in the office of political affairs under Obama
Chief of Staff for the Vice President-Tina Flournoy
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Sets direction for vice president’s team
Who is she?: Flournoy was Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton and had other positions in the Democratic Party. Outside government, she held a senior position at the American Federation of Teachers.
Communications Director for the Vice President-Ashley Etienne
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Leads the Vice President’s public relations team
Who is she?: Etienne was communications director to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and ran cabinet communications under Obama.
Chief Spokesperson for the Vice President-Symone Sanders
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Speaks with media on behalf of the Vice President
Who is she?: Sanders was senior adviser for the Biden campaign and press secretary for Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign. Outside government, she worked at the 360 group (a search firm that helps organizations for social change find the right leaders to join them.)
Chief of Staff for the First Lady-Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Help first lady set and carry out agenda
Who is she?: Pantaleon was the US ambassador to Uruguay and deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere under Obama. She is also a partner at the law firm Winston and Strawn.
Positions that Have Yet to Be Filled:
Director, Domestic Policy Council
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
ECONOMIC POLICY
Secretary of the Treasury-Janet Yellen
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Adviser on economic policy and the financial system
Who is she?: Yellen was the first woman to the chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014-2018. She was also chairwoman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under Clinton. If confirmed, she would be the first woman to be Secretary of the Treasury.
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury-Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Assist Secretary of Treasury with economic policy and financial system
Who is he?: Adeyemo was President of the Obama Foundation. He was also senior international economic adviser under Obama and chief of staff for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Chairperson, Council of Economic Advisers-Cecilia Rouse
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Advisers president on economic policy
Who is she?: Outside government she is a labor economist and the dean of Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. Rouse was part of the CEA under Obama and part of the National Economic Council under Clinton
Member, Council of Economic Advisers-Jared Bernstein
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?:Advise the president on economic policy
Who is he?: Bernstein was Biden’s chief economist when he was Vice President. Outside government, he is a former social worker and senior fellow at the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities (a progressive think tank that analyzes the impact of budget policy )
Member, Council of Economic Advisers-Heather Boushey
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?:Advise the president on economic policy
Who is she?: She was a long time economic adviser to Biden and worked for Clinton’s presidential campaign. She is also CEO of Washington Center for Equitable Growth (a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting policies that encourage stable economic growth.)
Positions that Have Yet to Be Filled:
U.S. Trade Representative
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of Commerce
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Chief of Small Business Administration
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
NATIONAL SECURITY
Secretary of State-Antony Blinken
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Lead foreign policy and diplomacy around the world
Who is he?: Blinken was deputy secretary of state under Obama, and he advised Biden on national security when he was Vice President. He and Biden worked together on the Senate Foriegn Relations Committee
Secretary of Homeland Security-Alejandro Mayorkas
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Advises the president on security issues within the United States. Also in charge of immigration, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity.
Who is he?: Mayorkas was Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services under Obama. He was also an architect of the DACA program. If confirmed, he will be the first immigrant and first Latino to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Director of National Intelligence-Avril Haines
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Lead intelligence community and advises president on national security
Who is she?: Haines was principal deputy national security adviser and deputy director of the CIA under Obama. She worked for Biden when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. If confirmed, she will be the first female director of national intelligence.
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate-John Kerry
NO CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Advise on climate policies and decisions, which is now part of the National Security Council.
Who is he?: Kerry was Secretary of State to Obama and had a part in the Paris climate accord. He was former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he was Senator of Massachusetts for 28 years.
Ambassador to the United Nations-Linda Thomas-Greenfield
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
What is their job?: Represents the President at the United Nations and advises on international affairs
Who is she?: Thomas-Greenfield has three decades of experience. She was assistant secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs and US ambassador to Liberia.
Positions that Have Yet to be Filled:
Secretary of Defense
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
CIA Director
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
OTHER CABINET POSITIONS (Have Yet to Be Filled):
Attorney General
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of Health and Human Services
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of Labor
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of Transportation
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of Agriculture
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of the Interior
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of Energy
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
Secretary of Education
CONFIRMATION NEEDED
