The Story
President-elect Joe Biden can start hiring.
Transition time?
Sure is. The media called a Biden W over two weeks ago. But litigation and multiple recounts kept Biden from updating his business cards. Yesterday, however, General Services Administrator Emily Murphy sent him a letter, letting him know the Trump admin can start handing over the keys. President Trump appeared to okay the move for the "best interest of our country" even though he still hasn't formally conceded. Now, Biden and his team will have access to gov funding and can coordinate with agency officials on next steps. And some are already underway.
I'm listening.
Yesterday, Biden revealed several of his nominations for high-ranking admin and Cabinet officials. Nearly all will need to be approved by the Senate (whose majority is up in the air). Some of Biden's picks are holdovers from his decades-long political career. And will "look like America" in terms of diversity. Here are some of the names on his list:
Secretary of state...Antony Blinken. Aka the longtime Biden aide and former deputy sec of state. He's committed to cooperating with int'l allies on things like climate change and refugee crises. He's also in a band. Called Ablinken. Get it? You get it.
Treasury secretary...Janet Yellen. The former Fed chair will have to steer the US through an unprecedented economic crisis. She's no Elizabeth Warren but Yellen has cred with progressives for her willingness to crack down on big banks. If confirmed, she'd be the first woman to lead the Treasury.
National security adviser...Jake Sullivan. He served as Biden's national security adviser in the Obama admin. And was one of the people who kickstarted diplomatic negotiations with Iran.
Director of national intelligence...Avril Haines. She's a former CIA deputy director who worked on the Obama admin's drone program, responsible for killing thousands of people, including civilians. If she gets Senate approval, she'd be the first female DNI.
Department of Homeland Security secretary...Alejandro Mayorkas. A former DHS deputy secretary who was key to implementing DACA in 2012. If confirmed, he'd be the first Latino and immigrant to lead the dept. Expect an overhaul of the past four years of DHS policy.
US ambassador to the UN...Linda Thomas-Greenfield. She's a 35-year veteran of the foreign service – serving in diplomatic posts around the world. Biden plans to give this position Cabinet-level status, which would reportedly make Thomas-Greenfield – a Black woman – a member of Biden's National Security Council.
Special presidential envoy for climate...John Kerry. The former secretary of state, who was also a key player in crafting the Paris climate deal, will act as the climate czar. And is eager to be part of a gov that "treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is."
theSkimm
Yesterday proved to be a double-whammy win for the president-elect. With the transition formally in process and these Cabinet nominations, Biden's kick-starting his admin despite a few setbacks. And is already showing a major policy shift from Trump's "America First" rhetoric.
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