CABINET STAFF MAP
Despite President Trump’s inability to accept his election loss, the Biden transition team forged ahead, announcing its picks for many Cabinet spots and other major positions over the past few weeks.
Below is a running list of who will be joining the executive branch come January, assuming the nominees clear the Senate confirmation process.
( CIA HEAD) President-elect Joe Biden will nominate William Burns, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a career diplomat for over 30 years, to serve as director of the CIA, the transition confirmed Monday.
Why. it matters: If confirmed, Burns would be the first career diplomat to lead the agency. Burns served the State Department in a number of posts around the world from the Reagan to the Obama administrations.
- "The choice of Burns will disappoint those who wanted a career intelligence officer to succeed Gina Haspel, the current director," writes the Washington Post's David Ignatius.
- "What’s likely to have appealed to Biden, in addition to his personal comfort level with Burns, is his reputation as a nonpartisan figure who served in hard places — Russia and the Middle East — and over the years developed close relationships with the countries that are the CIA’s key liaison partners."
Background: Burns, who Ignatius writes "is widely viewed as the best Foreign Service officer of his generation," served in a number of State Department roles from 1982 until 2014, including an ambassadorship to Russia from 2005 to 2008. He was deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration.
- Burns was involved in secret backchannel talks with Iran that culminated in the 2015 nuclear deal, which Biden will attempt to revive after he takes office.
- He also has experience dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has grown more aggressive in his foreign policy over the last decade, and told Axios in November: "We’re going to be operating within a pretty narrow band of possibilities in dealing with Vladimir Putin’s Russia — from the sharply competitive to the pretty nastily adversarial."
KEY WHITE HOUSE STAFF
Chief of Staff — Ron Klain — Biden’s first order of business was to name a chief of staff to keep the vetting and transition processes from getting bogged down in the face of Trump’s recalcitrance.
The chief of staff for Joe Biden when he was vice-president, Ron Klain was also the Obama administration’s Ebola-response coordinator during the outbreak in 2014 and 2015 — vital experience to have in a pandemic that has killed more than 360,000 Americans.
Deputy Chief of Staff - Jen O’Malley Dillon — Jen O'Malley Dillon joined Biden's campaign in March after managing Beto O'Rourke's primary bid. She is a veteran of seven presidential campaigns and a former executive director of the Democratic National Committee.
Deputy Chief of Staff — Bruce Reed — The transition announced on Tuesday that Bruce Reed, a longtime Biden adviser who served as the vice president’s chief of staff from 2011 to 2013, is heading back to the White House as his deputy chief of staff.
Counselor to the President — Steve Ricchetti — Steve Ricchetti was Biden's second chief of staff when Biden was vice president. A longtime aide to Biden, Ricchetti was a deputy chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton. During the George W. Bush era, Ricchetti worked as a lobbyist.
Counselor to the President — Jeff Zients — Jeff Zients, who previously led the HealthCare.gov tech surge in 2013 and oversaw the “Cash for Clunkers” fuel-efficiency program, will head the federal government’s COVID response, “including managing safe and equitable vaccine distribution, the pandemic supply chain, and coordination across federal agencies and state and local governments,” per the transition’s press release.
Natalie Quillian, a former White House and Pentagon senior adviser who helped coordinate the Obama administration’s response to the opioid epidemic, will serve as deputy coordinator.
National Security Adviser — Jake Sullivan — Jake Sullivan, who was Biden’s national security adviser when he was vice president, will serve as national security adviser in the new administration.
Director, Office of Management and Budget — Neera Tanden — Biden nominated that Neera Tanden – the frequent Twitter user and president of the Center for American Progress think tank, a center-left think tank – to be his OMB director. The Princeton University labor economist Cecilia Rouse will serve as the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Director, National Economic Council — Brian Deese — Biden nominated that Neera Tanden – the frequent Twitter user and president of the Center for American Progress think tank, a center-left think tank – to be his OMB director. The Princeton University labor economist Cecilia Rouse will serve as the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Director, Domestic Policy Council — Susan Rice — Susan Rice will lead the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, overseeing how the administration handles issues such as immigration, health care, and racial inequality. It’s a shift for Rice, who has spent her career in foreign policy, previously serving as Obama’s national security advisor and ambassador to the United Nations.
Director, Office of Public Engagement - Cedric Richmond — Cedric Richmond is a five-term Louisiana congressman and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. He served on multiple committees and worked on criminal justice reform legislation. Richmond co-chaired Biden's campaign. He will serve as a senior adviser to Biden in addition to being director of the Office of Public Engagement.
Senior Adviser to the President — Mike Donilon — The nominee: Mike Donilon was Biden's chief strategist during Biden's presidential campaign, where he led speechwriting, advertising and polling. He also worked as a counselor to Biden when Biden was vice president. Donilon has been part of six presidential campaigns and more than 25 congressional, gubernatorial and mayoral races.
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate — John Kerry - On November 23, Biden announced that he would appoint John Kerry as special presidential envoy for climate, a new Cabinet-level role in which the former secretary of State will “persuade skeptical global leaders, burned by the Trump administration’s hostility toward climate science, that the United States is prepared to resume its leadership role,” according to the New York Times.
National Climate Adviser — Gina McCarthy — The Washington Post reported on December 15 that former Environmental Protection Agency chief and National Resources Defense Council president Gina McCarthy will serve as Biden’s climate czar, coordinating environmental policy throughout the administration.
Director, Office of Legislative Affairs — Louisa Terrell — Provides coordination between the White House and Congress. Louisa Terrell worked on legislative affairs in the Obama White House. She earlier worked with Biden during his time as a US senator, serving as his deputy chief of staff. Terrell has also worked for consultants McKinsey and Co., Yahoo! and Facebook.
Director, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs — Julie Chávez Rodriguez — Provides coordination between the White House and state and local governments. Julie Chávez Rodriguez worked as Biden's deputy campaign manager. Earlier, she was national political director for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' presidential bid. Rodriguez had a senior role on the Obama White House's public engagement team.
Director, White House Office of Presidential Personnel —Cathy Russell — Top aide and adviser to the president on presidential appointments. Cathy Russell was a State Department ambassador on global women's issues in the Obama administration. She previously worked as Jill Biden's chief of staff and in senior positions at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee and Justice Department.
Counsel to the President — Dana Remus — Dana Remus was the general counsel to Biden's presidential campaign. She has also served as the general counsel for the Obama Foundation. In the Obama White House, she was deputy counsel for ethics. She previously taught law at the University of North Carolina School of Law and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
Communications Director — Kate Bedingfield — Kate Bedingfield was Biden's communications director and deputy campaign manager during his campaign. She was his communications director in the Obama White House. Previously Bedingfield worked for the Motion Picture Association of America.
Press Secretary — Jen Psaki — Biden announced that veteran Democratic spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki will serve as White House press secretary. Psaki, who served several communications roles in the Obama administration, including White House communications director, will lead the first all-female presidential comms team. “These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better,” Biden said on November 2
Chief of Staff for the Vice President — Tina Flournoy — Tina Flournoy was chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton. She has held a series of positions in the Democratic Party since the Clinton administration, and also held a senior position at the American Federation of Teachers union.
Chief Spokesperson for the Vice President — Symone Sanders — Symone Sanders was a senior adviser for Biden's campaign. She previously was press secretary for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. Before working for the Biden campaign she worked at the 360 Group, an executive search firm.
Chief of Staff for the First Lady — Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon — Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon was U.S. ambassador to Uruguay as well as the deputy assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere during the Obama administration. She is a partner at the law firm Winston & Strawn.
ECONOMIC POLICY
Secretary of the Treasury — Janet Yellen — On November 23, The Wall Street Journal reported that former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen was Biden’s pick for Treasury secretary. As the Journal noted, Yellen will not only be the first woman to lead the Department of the Treasury but the “first person to have headed the Treasury, the central bank and the White House Council of Economic Advisers,” the three most powerful economic positions in the nation. In recent months, Yellen has expressed a willingness to use fiscal measures to stimulate economic recovery in a nation with a poverty rate above 11 percent. “This is not a good time to have fiscal policy switch from being accommodative to creating a drag,” Yellen said in October. “That’s what happened [last decade], and it retarded the recovery.”
On November 30, when Biden officially announced Yellen’s nomination, he also said he intends to nominate Adele Adeyemo — who served as a senior economic adviser in the Obama administration and is the current president of the Obama Foundation based in Chicago — as deputy Treasury secretary,
Chairperson, Council of Economic Advisers — Cecilia Rouse — Cecilia Rouse is a labor economist and the dean of Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs. Rouse served as a member of the CEA during the Obama administration and was part of the National Economic Council during the Clinton administration. If confirmed, Rouse would be the first African American to chair the CEA. And well deserving of the position…
US Trade Representative —Katherine Tai — Katherine Tai, the top US Trade Representative lawyer on China during the Obama administration, was announced as Biden’s pick for US trade representative on December 10. With her help we will be back to trading not politics.
Secretary of Commerce — Gina Raimondo — Gina Raimondo is governor of Rhode Island. Earlier in her career, she founded a venture capital firm and was the state's general treasurer. Raymond has focused on workplace training, small business loans and clean energy during her two terms as governor. She brilliantly handled Rhode Island during the crisis. She has Intelligence with business generation capability.
Chief of Small Business Administration — Isabel Guzman — Provides assistance to small businesses…The nominee: Isabel Guzman is director of California's Office of the Small Business Advocate. She was a senior official at the Small Business Administration during the Obama administration. Earlier in her career, she was an adviser at ProAmérica Bank.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Secretary of State — Antony Blinken — Biden selected his longtime aide Antony Blinken for secretary of State, unveiling his pick on November 23 along with other members of his national security team. Biden’s national security adviser when he was vice-president and President Obama’s deputy secretary of State from 2015 to 2017, Blinken’s nomination suggests a return to the multilateralism of the Obama administration.
Secretary of Defense — Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin — On December 8, Biden published an op-ed in The Atlantic announcing that his Defense Secretary would be Lloyd Austin, a four-star general who retired from the Army in 2016. In addition to Senate confirmation, Austin, who has served on the board of Raytheon, will need a congressional waiver in order to nullify the seven-year waiting period between active-duty and government service.
Secretary of Homeland Security — Alejandro Mayorkas — Biden announced on November 23 that Alejandro Mayorkas, the deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under Obama, would serve as the department’s head, becoming the first Latino and the first immigrant to do so. As the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under Obama — a role he held prior to becoming DHS deputy secretary — Mayorkas, who was born in Havana, led the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a policy that Biden has declared his intention to restore.
Director of National Intelligence — Avril Haines — Biden named Haines — the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2013 to 2015 — his director of national intelligence on November 23. If confirmed, she will oversee the 17 agencies that make up the nation’s intelligence community, becoming the first woman to fill the role.
Ambassador to the United Nations — Linda Thomas-Greenfield — Biden named Foreign Service veteran Linda Thomas-Greenfield to the U.N. ambassador position on November 23 and said he will reestablish the role in the Cabinet after his isolationist predecessor demoted it.
OTHER CABINET POSITIONS
Attorney General — Merrick Garland — The position: Top legal official in the Federal Government. …advises the White House on legal and judicial matters. The nominee: Merrick Garland is a federal appeals court judge. During his career inside the Justice Department, he oversaw the prosecution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. In 2016, he had been nominated for the Supreme Court by Obama but Republicans did not give his nomination a hearing.
Secretary of Health and Human Services — Xavier Becerra — On December 7, Biden named California Attorney General Xavier Becerraas his Health and Human Services secretary. If confirmed, Becerra will be tasked with reshaping the department amid the pandemic and in the wake of infighting this past year between Trump appointees and public-health officials.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Marcia Fudge — Representative Marcia Fudge of Ohio was selected to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Fudge had lobbied Biden to become the nation’s first Black secretary of agriculture, but the job went to Tom Vilsack.
Secretary of Agriculture —Tom Vilsack — Tom Vilsack has been tapped to lead the Department of Agriculture again after he did so during the Obama administration, according to Axios. Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, was a prominent supporter of the president-elect in the presidential caucuses.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs — Denis McDonough — Denis McDonough, Obama’s White House chief of staff, was tapped to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs on December 10. It’s “a sprawling agency that has presented organizational challenges for both parties over the years,” as the AP put it. “But he never served in the armed forces, a fact noted by a leading veterans organization.”
Secretary of Labor — Marty Walsh — Marty Walsh is serving his second term as mayor of Boston. Previously, he served on the Massachussets House of Representatives. Earlier, he was a union president. Walsh has focused on issues like raising the minimum wage, paid family leave and clean energy.
Secretary of Transportation — Pete Buttigieg — Biden introduced Pete Buttigieg as his pick for Transportation secretary on December 16. If confirmed, Buttigieg will be the first openly LGBTQ person to serve in the Cabinet. Buttigieg first came to national prominence when he came out as gay in 2015 while serving as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, before going on to run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
Secretary of Energy — Jennifer Granholm — Politico reported on December 15 that Biden will name former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm as the leader of the expansive Department of Energy. Her experience in Lansing from 2003 to 2011 is an asset as Biden works to speed-up the transition to electric cars, among other green energy priorities.
Secretary of the Interior — Deb Haaland — On December 17, Biden announced that New Mexico Representative Deb Haaland would be his pick for Interior Secretary, becoming the first Native American to lead the department that determines policy for federally-owned natural resources, as well as tribal lands.
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency — Michael Regan — On December 17, Biden picked North Carolina’s environmental chief since 2017, Michael S. Regan, as his choice to lead the EPA, one of the cabinet departments impacted most by the T-RUMP administration.
Secretary of Education — Miguel Cardona — On December 22, the transition announced that Miguel Cardona, the top education official in Connecticut — and a staunch advocate for in-school learning during the pandemic — will lead the Education Department and Biden’s push to return kids to school within his first 100 days.
OTHER POSITIONS
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury — Adele “Wally” Adeyemo — Wally Adeyemo is the president of the Obama Foundation. He was senior international economic adviser in the Obama White House, and was the first chief of staff for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Adeyemo would be the first African American deputy secretary at the Treasury Department.
Deputy Attorney General — Lisa Monaco —Lisa Monaco was Obama’s top adviser on homeland security and counterterrorism. She spent 15 years at the Justice Department, first as a career federal prosecutor, and eventually becoming the Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
Deputy Secretary of Commerce — Don Graves - Don Graves is a longtime adviser to Biden. During the Obama administration, he oversaw the Small Business Lending Fund and State Small Business Credit Initiative, and led federal efforts to help Detroit after its bankruptcy. Afterward, he was an executive at KeyBank.
Associate Attorney General - Vanita Gupta — Vanita Gupta is the CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She was the acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's civil rights division during the Obama administration and led reviews of police departments in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore.
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Dr. Rochelle Walensky — Oversees federal efforts to protect against and respond to public health threats. Dr. Rochelle Walensky is chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is an expert on virus testing, prevention and treatment.
Surgeon General — Dr. Vivek Murthy — Providing public health information and advice. Oversees the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Dr. Vivek Murthy was Surgeon General during the Obama administration. He is a physician and research scientist and has advised Biden on COVID-19 issues. On December 3, Politico reported that the former US surgeon general for President Obama would reprise his role in the Biden administration under what are now dire circumstances. Murthy, the co-chair of Biden’s COVID advisory board, is expected to play a much more public role than previous surgeons general, acting as the “top medical expert and public face of the [pandemic] effort.” The transition formally announced Murthy’s nomination on December 7.
Member, Council of Economic Advisers — Jared Bernstein — Advises the president on economic policy. Jared Bernstein was Biden's chief economist in the Obama White House. A former social worker, Bernstein is a senior fellow at the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think-tank.
Member, Council of Economic Advisers — Heather Boushey — Advises the president on economic policy… Heather Boushey is a longtime economic adviser to Biden. She is the CEO of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a nonprofit research group. She also worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Chairperson, Council on Environmental Quality — Brenda Mallory — Assists with environmental policy implementation, working directly with the president and respective agencies involved. Brenda Mallory was general counsel to the Council on Environmental Quality during the Obama administration and has held senior legal roles within the Environmental Protection Agency. She now works at the Southern Environmental Law Center.
PEOPLE HE SHOULD BRING BACK
😇 Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson
Atkinson was ousted from the job after playing a role in the President's impeachment. He had alerted lawmakers to the now-known whistleblower complaint, which alleged that T-RUMP had sought dirt on his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, from Ukraine's president while withholding US security aid from Kiev.
😇 Acting Defense Department Inspector General Glenn Fine
Within a week of Atkinson's firing, Trump decided to remove Fine from his post as acting IG for the Defense Department. Trump’s decision meant that Fine would no longer chair the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee tasked with overseeing $2 trillion in emergency coronavirus funding. Fine, a career official, was replaced as acting IG with Sean O'Donnell, who is also the Environmental Protection Agency IG. T-RUMP had announced his pick, Jason Abend, a policy adviser for Customs and Border Protection, to permanently fill the role and a T-RUMP supporter.
😇 Acting Dept. of Health & Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm
Christi Grimm, who was filling the top role of IG in an acting capacity, became the target of the President's ire after she signed off on a March OIG report that described a dire situation for frontline doctors and medical staff.
The report found that the nation's hospitals are dealing with "severe" and "widespread" shortages of needed testing supplies and personal protective equipment, hampering their ability to test and respond to the coronavirus pandemic adequately and protect medical staff.
😇 State Department Inspector General Steve Linick
In a letter sent on May 15, Trump announced he would be removing Linick from office because he "no longer" has the "fullest confidence" in him. The President's letter stated that the dismissal is effective in 30 days. Again, the firing came late on a Friday night.
Shortly after Linick's firing was announced, Rep. Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he had learned Linick's office had opened an investigation into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. But Engel did not go into further detail about the scope of the investigation.