Who does what in the Biden administration | Joe Biden News

Joe Biden’s team will include Obama veterans, longtime aides and allies, as well as women and people of color.

Newly sworn-in President Joe Biden’s administration is taking shape – a team that will be tasked with implementing its agenda and vision for the nation.

So far, Biden has appointed several people to key positions within his White House and cabinet staff, as well as other positions in his administration. Some of his appointments have yet to be confirmed by the Senate, but here’s what we know so far:

Kamala Harris: Vice-President

Vice President Kamala Harris holds the second highest elected office in the United States. The daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, she is the first woman and person of color to become vice president. She takes office four years after becoming a United States Senator from California. Previously, she served as state attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco.

Antony Blinken: Secretary of State

Blinken, who has yet to be confirmed by the Senate, is a Biden confidant with extensive experience in foreign policy. He served under the Bill Clinton administration in the State Department and was Assistant Secretary of State under President Barack Obama. At his confirmation hearing on January 19, he lambasted the Trump administration and pledged to repair the damage done to the image of the United States abroad over the past four years.

Antony J Blinken speaking at his confirmation hearing for Secretary of State before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Capitol on January 19, 2021 [Alex Edelman/Pool via Reuters]

Ron Klain: Chief of Staff

Klain is a longtime aide to Biden who previously worked as a chief of staff when he was vice president. In 2014, he was appointed Ebola Tsar during the Obama administration and is expected to play a leading role in the Biden administration’s efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Ron Klain who worked as the Ebola response coordinator for the Obama administration [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]

Janet Yellen: Secretary of the Treasury

If confirmed, Yellen would become the first woman in the country to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. She was previously chairman of the Federal Reserve. During her confirmation hearing on January 19, she presented an ambitious economic vision for the country that includes aggressive action to reduce economic inequality, higher taxes for the rich, tackling climate change and tackling climate change. coronavirus pandemic.

If confirmed, Janet Yellen would become the country’s first woman to become Secretary of the Treasury [Leah Millis/Reuters]

Lloyd Austin: Secretary of Defense

If confirmed, Austin would become the first black secretary of defense in the United States. He is a retired army general who previously headed the US forces in Iraq under Obama. He retired in 2016 and would need a waiver from Congress and the Senate to take the post, a rule meant to ensure civilian control of the US military. During his confirmation hearing, he said he supported civilian control of the military and an end to the war in Afghanistan.

Candidate for Secretary of Defense, Retired Army General Lloyd Austin, answering questions when confirmed to the Senate Armed Services Committee on January 19, 2021 [Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters]

Alejandro Mayorkas: Secretary for Internal Security

Mayorkas served as deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama administration, where he led the implementation of DACA – the program that granted protected status to migrants brought to the United States as children. More recently, he pledged to fight domestic extremism following the January 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol. If confirmed, Cuba-born Mayorkas would become the first Latino and immigrant to lead the department.

Homeland Security secretary candidate Alejandro Mayorkas testifies during a Senate confirmation hearing on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on Capitol Hill in Washington [Joshua Roberts/Reuters]

Xavier Becerra: Secretary of Health and Social Services

In a critical role tasked with shaping the country’s response to COVID-19, Biden appointed Becerra, a seasoned congresswoman who has represented downtown Los Angeles for 24 years. He notably played a key role in Obamacare’s death in Congress. Since 2017, he has served as California’s attorney general and, if confirmed, he would be the first Latino to hold that position.

Born in California, Xavier Becerra is the son of Mexican immigrants and a longtime congressman representing downtown LA [Mike Segar/Reuters]

John Kerry: United States Special Climate Envoy

Former Secretary of State John Kerry will act as Cabinet-level “climate czar” in the Biden administration. It’s a newly created position that will help guide the country’s climate diplomacy. He is expected to adopt a dramatically different climate change policy from that of the Trump administration. The United States has already taken steps to join the Paris climate agreement.

John Kerry speaks at a World War Zero climate coalition event at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid, Spain, December 11, 2019 [Susana Vera/Reuters]

Jen Psaki: White House Press Secretary

Psaki addressed reporters for the first time in her new role on January 20, promising to bring “truth and transparency” to her dealings with the media and answer as many questions as possible. The Trump administration was often accused of being combative towards journalists who criticized the administration and even called some media “enemies of the people.” Psaki was previously a State Department spokesman and deputy White House press secretary under Obama.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki answering reporters’ questions in the James S Brady press conference room at the White House, following the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021 [Tom Brenner/Reuters]

Avril Haines: Director of National Intelligence

On January 21, the Senate overwhelmingly approved Haines’ nomination for the nation’s top intelligence post. She is the first woman to head the National Intelligence Bureau. Previously, she served as Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Director of the CIA under the Obama administration.

Avril Haines appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee during its confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, United States [Melina Mara/Pool via Reuters]

Merrick Garland: Attorney General

Garland has served on the Federal Court of Appeal since 1997. In 2016, he was appointed to the United States Supreme Court by Obama, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to consider his appointment. arguing that it was too close to a presidential election.

Justice Merrick Garland, Joe Biden’s candidate for United States Attorney General, speaking after Biden announced his appointment [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]

Linda Thomas-Greenfield: Ambassador to the United Nations

Thomas-Greenfield, a foreign service veteran, she was Assistant Secretary of State for Africa under the Obama administration.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the choice of Joe Biden to become the next American ambassador to the United Nations [Joshua Roberts/Reuters]

In other important Cabinet positions, Biden has appointed Gina Raimondo be secretary of commerce; Deb Haaland for the secretary of the interior; Marcia Fudge as secretary of housing and urban development; Miguel Cardona for the secretary of education; Pete Buttigieg for the secretary of transport; Marty walsh for the labor secretary; Jennifer granholm for the energy secretary; and Denis mcdonough for the secretary of veterans affairs.