Biden’s Cabinet Nominations: The Basics and The Blowback

President Elect Joe Biden at an event announcing cabinet picks in early December. Source.

The State delegations to the Electoral College have officially named Joe Biden as president. It is now essential to look to the future of the Presidency. Biden and his team have been doing this by choosing people to serve in his Cabinet. He has touted that this cabinet will be one of the “most diverse in American history.” However, some Progressives are casting doubt on his choices so far. The Presidential Cabinet is a group of high ranking officials and leaders in Executive departments. So far, the President Elect has publicly chosen people to serve in 19 of these positions. Most of these picks still need Senate approval. 

The first person to be officially recognized on Biden’s Cabinet is Vice President Elect Kamala Harris. Formerly a California Senator, she now makes history as the first woman and first Black and South Asian person to be chosen as Vice President. Harris was not entirely supported by the Pregressive wing of the Democratic party. This hesitation stems from her not taking a clear stance on many issues and having made controversial decisions as a California District Attorney and Senator. 

Biden nominated retired General Lloyd Austin III to serve as Secretary of Defense. If confirmed, he will be the first Black person to be in the position. As a person who mostly stays out of the political spotlight, he is expected to help in Biden’s efforts to put less attention on military action.

The President Elect has chosen Antony Blinken, who also served in the State Department during the Obama Administration, as his Secretary of State. His experience in diplomacy is promising for the rebuilding of global relationships that were lost during the Trump Administration. However, progressives worry about his past support for expanding US military presence.

Jake Sullivan is a close friend to Blinken and also worked closely with Biden during the Obama Administration. President Elect Biden has nominated Sullivan for National Security Advisor. He has worked for many other politicians, such as Hilary Clinton, Amy Klobachar, and Justice Beyer. He is largely respected across the aisle. 

Janet Yellen, former chair of the Federal Reserve, has been nominated to serve as Treasury Secretary. She is largely apolitical, and therefore not a very divisive choice. However, progressives are not impressed with the nomination as they advised Biden to choose a known trust-buster. Yellen will be the first woman to serve in this position if confirmed.

Xavier Becerra was nominated to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. If confirmed, he will be the first Latin American to serve in the role. His previous work as a Senator and District Attorney has shown a promising drive to increase access to high quality health care. 

Denis McDonough worked closely with then Vice President Biden during the Obama Administration. Now, he is nominated to serve as the Secretary of Veteran Affairs. In the past he has also worked closely with military families and the former Veteran Affairs Secretary.

Alejandro Mayorkas is nominated to serve as the Secretary of Homeland Security. If confirmed, he would be the first Latino and first immigrant to hold the position. Mayorkas is a lawyer who has experience working in the department of Homeland Security as Deputy Secretary. During his time there, he helped create the DACA. He is expected to roll back many of Trump’s immigration policies.

Finally, Pete Buttigieg has been tapped to the post of Secretary of Transportation. Bittigieg, former mayor of South Bend, IN and Democratic primary rival to President Elect Biden a few short months ago, has been both praised as a pick bolstering LGBTQ visibility in the cabinet and criticized for his lack of experience. In any case, his meteoric rise in the Democratic Party at the national level has been apparent.

Perhaps the most controversial nominations were those of Tom Vilsack and Marcia Fudge. Vilsack served for the entirety of the Obama Administration as the Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack has a record of discounting civil rights cases, and foreclosing Black farms at a much higher rate than White farms, and making conditions worse for animals and workers in the meat processing industry. In addition to this, he has worked for big agriculture for the last four years. Biden has nominated Vilsack to serve as the Secretary of Agriculture again, despite major support for Marcia Fudge to get the nomination. Fudge has long served on the House Agriculture committee as an expert on Food Stamp policy and advocate for ending childhood hunger. Biden nominated her to serve as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development instead.