PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN'S CABINET | As of January 20, 2021

Appointments of President 
Biden and VP Kamala Harris

This post is left as it was at the time of President Biden's inauguration. It is updated with new confirmations here:

https://cityeconomist.blogspot.com/2021/01/president-bidens-cabinet-history-and.html

President Joseph Biden has nominated 24 people to cabinet-level positions. Nearly half (eleven) are women. The cabinet was originally composed of the heads of the largest agencies. That today is 15 people, of whom five are women. The other nine positions are cabinet rank.

These numbers exclude the President and Vice President Kamala Harris. Cabinet photos always include the President, but not always the Vice President; Biden is likely to be inclusive. (The Washington Post photos of the cabinet on January 16 included the vice president.) 

Agencies change their names and spin off new agencies that become cabinet level themselves. Who is of cabinet rank changes with every administration. Here is some history, followed by President Biden's list and confirmation status.

The cabinet was originally five under Washington. George Washington's cabinet showed five men—the President and the Secretaries of State (Jefferson), Treasury (Hamilton) and War (Knox), and the Attorney-General, heading the Justice Department (Randolph). It was formed after the middle of Washington's first term. The heads of the four agencies are in the order of succession to the presidency in the event of the president becoming incapacitated; precedence is based on when the agencies were first created.

FDR had a cabinet of eleven, including himself. Four date back to Washington's cabinet—State (Hull), Treasury (Woodin), War (Dern), Justice (AG Cummings). Four were new—Agriculture (Wallace), Commerce (Roper), Interior (Ickes) and Labor (Perkins).  The other two agencies, since dropped, were the Postmaster-General (Farley) and Navy Secretary (Swanson). 

Biden's cabinet has the basic fifteen (plus himself and , the Vice President), plus nine other cabinet-rank positions. The basic eight are the agencies on FDR's list after the two deletions, except that the Department of War on August 10, 1949 was renamed the Department of Defense. Since Roosevelt, seven agencies have been added to his surviving eight: Health and Human Services (HHS, formerly HEW), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Administration and Homeland Security (DHS). Total: 15 agencies.

The nine other appointees of cabinet rank are a separate group composed of staff members heading smaller agencies or staff groups (3 men, 6 women)—The President's Chief of Staff (no Senate confirmation required), Director of National Intelligence, Science Adviser, CEA Chair, CIA Director, EPA Administrator, OMB Director, SBA Administrator, US Trade Representative (USTR) and UN Ambassador. Sources: AP, Biden Transition, NPR, WaPo.

I. CABINET (Agency heads, subject to Senate confirmation). 15 (10M, 5W). (WaPo's list includes the Vice President and Chief of Staff here, for a total of 17. Chief of Staff is listed here in the second group. Cabinet photos also include the President himself, which would bring the photo to 17 people.)

Agriculture Secretary: Tom Vilsack. He served as Agriculture Secretary under President Obama.

Attorney-General, Department of Justice: Merrick Garland. Garland had been nominated for the Supreme Court. He was widely viewed as a superb choice but was not acted on by the Republican Senate.

Commerce Secretary. Gina Raimondo. First female governor of Rhode Island. When elected, faced the worst unemployment rate of any state and launched successful workforce training programs.

Defense Secretary: General (Ret.) Lloyd Austin. First-ever Black defense secretary. A former four-star general, he retired from the military in 2016. Confirmation hearing Jan. 19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukPQtthKEQQ.

Education Secretary: Miguel Cardona. Former commissioner of education for the State of Connecticut. He is a strong advocate for public schools.

Energy Secretary: Jennifer Granholm, former governor of the State of Michigan and previous the that was attorney general of the state. 

Health and Human Services Secretary: Xavier Becerra. Former attorney general of California, he led the defense of Obamacare. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director: Rochelle Walensky.)

Homeland Security Secretary: Alejandro Mayorkas. First Latino and first immigrant to the United States in this role. Confirmation hearing January 19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukPQtthKEQQ.

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary: Marcia Fudge. Fudge would  be the first woman to run HUD in 40 years. She’s the third Black woman named for Biden’s Cabinet.

Interior Department Secretary: Deb Haaland. The first Native American Cabinet secretary and Interior Department head, she marks a turning point for the U.S. government’s stance with our indigenous peoples, who have been highly affected by toxic air and polluted land.

Labor Secretary. Martin J. (Marty) Walsh. Mayor of Boston, he is the first union leader in the Labor post in half a century. The Department was created in 1933. Champion of a $15 minimum wage and paid family leave.

Secretary of State: Antony Blinken. Blinken served as deputy secretary of State between 2015 and 2017. He advised President-Elect Biden for years and in 2008 worked on Biden's bid for the Democratic nomination, which he lost to former President Obama. Confirmation hearing Jan. 19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukPQtthKEQQ.

Transportation Secretary: Pete Buttigieg. Former Rhodes Scholar. Was Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. (Likely future candidate for President.)

Treasury Secretary: Former Fed Chair Janet L. Yellen. Challenges.  (Deputy Treasury Secretary: Wally Adeyemo.) Confirmation hearing Jan. 19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukPQtthKEQQ.

Veterans Affairs Secretary. Denis McDonough.

II. CABINET RANK (Smaller agencies and WH Staff) 9 (3M, 6W)

Council of Economic Advisers, Chair: Cecilia Rouse. Rouse, a  Californian, PhD in economics from Harvard, was Dean of Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. Rouse's position is Cabinet status under Biden; Trump had demoted the CEA. (CEA Members: Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey.)

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Michael S. Regan. Cabinet rank, but not a Cabinet Department.

Executive Office of the President, Chief of Staff: Ron Klain. (Senate confirmation not required.)

National Intelligence Director: Avril Haines. Confirmation hearing, Select Committee on Intelligence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukPQtthKEQQ.

 (National Security Council:  National Security Adviser: Jake Sullivan)

OMB Director:  Neera Tanden.

Science Adviser. Eric Lander. This position is newly elevated under President-Elect Biden to cabinet level. Lander was a leader of the Human Genome Project. He directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Small Business Administration. Isabel Guzman. Comes from the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. Former deputy chief of staff at the SBA and a small business entrepreneur.

U.N. Ambassador: Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The post was non-Cabinet status under Trump, but was restored by President-Elect Biden. She was ambassador to Liberia and then Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in 2013-2017.

 

U.S. Trade Representative: Katherine Tai.

III. OTHER KEY APPOINTEES

CIA Director: William J. (Bill) Burns. Retired from State Department as Deputy Secretary in 2014. Former ambassador to Russia and Jordan. President of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Was elevated under Trump to Cabinet level, but is not included in WaPo list as of January 16. Reports to Director of National Intelligence (Avril Haines).

Climate Special Presidential Envoy: John Kerry. The new position was recommended by Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement. National Climate Adviser: Gina McCarthy.

Communications Director: Kate Bedingfield. Press Secretary: Jen(nifer) Psaki.

Council on Environmental Quality, Chair: Brenda Mallory

Domestic Policy Council, Director: Susan Rice.

National Economic Council, Director: Brian Deese.

IV. MORE ABOUT THE CABINET AND BIDEN'S CHALLENGES

- Biggest economic challenge. 

- Notes from FDR's transition. 

- Biden urges economic stimulus soon. 

- Worrisome impact of Covid—many unemployed are not returning to the workforce.

- Fortune's take on the economic team.

- "Team of Insiders" (December 12)

- Biden Cabinet to Be the Most Diverse Ever (December 19)

- Origin of the Cabinet

CAMPAIGN$ | Dem Home Stretch for Senate–Heidi's List (Updated Oct. 25, 2016)

Joe Biden warns: The White House is
 not enough.

“If we win the White House and fail to take the Senate, it’s a Pyrrhic victory”–VP Joe Biden, New York City, June 2016

How to Help Democrats 
Win the Senate
 (Updated Oct 20, 2016)

Home-Stretch Tips from 
Guest-Blogger Heidi Fiske 

In the next few years, four Supreme Court justices are likely to retire. As Mitch McConnell has shown us, the Senate can drag its feet indefinitely on confirming a new justice. 

It is essential that Democrats regain control of the Senate. Supporting these candidates, therefore, is more important than almost any race specific to your district.

This year 2016 is an especially good one to try. Democrats will need to gain just 4-5 new seats, while holding the ones they have, to take control, because many more Republicans than Democrats are up for re-election. 

Despite this potential advantage, key races are very very close. On October 11, the NY Times “Upshot” called control of the Senate a 50-50 proposition.  

Each side is fighting hard. Republicans  -- shying away from Trump -- are pouring money and, increasingly, people on the ground into these races. In Missouri, for instance, Democratic candidate Jason Kander announced October 11 that a Republican SuperPac has purportedly already talked to one million Missouri voters in person or on the phone.  

But exhilaratingly, on October 18, the Clinton campaign began transferring $6 million to state parties in seven purple states to help Get Out The Vote for down ballot candidates,  and began putting new resources into red states like Arizona, Missouri and Indiana in an effort to win a landslide. And, according to Politico, Democrats will badly outspend Republicans on TV ads in the eight most competitive Senate races: $81 million versus just $65 million for the GOP.

Democrats need to fight the new GOP push with money and on-the-ground volunteers. 
This memo is written to help you figure out how to do that. It was written by Heidi Fiske 
for posting here. Please send comments and updates to her at heidifi33 [at] aol [dot] com.

What Not to Do

1. Don’t waste your $ and time on California, Illinois, or Wisconsin, because the Democratic challengers are virtually certain to win in these states.
2. And don’t waste resources on Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky and Ohio, because the Democratic challengers are almost certain to lose.
3. Keep an eye on Indiana. It is likely that Democrat Evan Bayh will win, though he seems to be chewing through his earlier significant lead. The state has gotten redder since he left the Senate in 2011 with a serious war chest, which he is deploying here.

Heidi's Top 7 Senate Candidates
Where to Concentrate Your $ and Time

My Top 7 candidates are listed in rank order based on how likely the candidate is to win, as of October 13, 2016. (A more complete challenger list in 15 states follows.)

1. NH Maggie Hassan

Governor of New Hampshire

Special note:  Both parties have poured so much money into this small state that donations may not be half as useful here as volunteering. Race: Some polls put Hassan ahead; others the incumbent Ayotte.  Popular governor vs. popular senator.  Ayotte has recently withdrawn support for Trump; will write in Pence. Key positions: Hassan lists just about everything on her site. The first four are combating opioid crisis; national security; economy, jobs and innovation; education and workforce development.   HF note: Have heard her speak three times; she is likeable and an accomplished governor.  Website: maggiehassan.com To volunteer: http://act.maggiehassan.com/page/s/web_form_volunteer?&source=web_form_volunteer

2. PA Katie McGinty

Former chief of staff to PA governor

Race: McGinty has been slightly behind but is climbing.  Key positions:  protecting environment (worked for both President Clinton and PA governor in key environmental roles); jobs and economy; education; affordable health care; women’s and LGBT rights, protecting SS and Medicare.  HF note:  Have heard twice, once at an event where she was backed by VP Biden. Attractive and vigorous.  Website: katiemcginty.com. Make check to:  Katie McGinty for US Senate and mail to Katie McGinty for US Senate, PO Box 22447, Philadelphia, PA 19110 To volunteer:  katiemcginty.com/volunteer/.

3. NV Catherine Cortez Masto

Former Nevada Attorney General

Race: running to replace Harry Reid, and has his machine behind her, but is about tied with opponent Congressman and Brigadier General Joe Heck, though she is rising.  Key positions: overturning Citizens United; raising minimum wage; protecting Medicare and Social Security; comprehensive immigration reform. As AG she fought meth labs, sex and human trafficking, predatory lending and aggressive foreclosures, scams against seniors. HF note: Have heard her once; impressive. Website: catherinecortezmasto.com. Mail check to: Catherine Cortez Masto for Senate, 8020 South Rainbow Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada, 89139. To volunteer:  http://catherinecortezmasto.com/contact. Large Filipino population, so tagalog as well as Spanish is useful here. 

4. NC Deborah Ross

Former State Congresswoman

Race: Incumbent opponent ahead but unpopular; Ross not well known, hence volunteering is very important, and her head of volunteers, Sandra Johnson, is superb.  Key positions: for building infrastructure; women’s economic issues (e.g. minimum wage, equal pay and Social Security); solving student loan crisis; gun background checks; LGBTQ rights.  Also for protecting seniors and veterans and overturning Citizens United.  HF note:  have hosted a fundraiser and heard her speak elsewhere and met with her at length as well. Extremely impressive, poised, thoughtful. Website: deborahross.com  Make check to: Deborah Ross for Senate and mail to P O Box 28258, Raleigh, NC 27611. Contribute on-line to https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/drev160919

To volunteer: https://www.deborahross.com/?action=volunteer

5. MO Jason Kander

Missouri Secretary of State

Race: slightly behind incumbent Roy Blunt Key positions:  Advocating for women and African Americans; government accountability; environmental protection; support for small businesses; early childhood education. Wants constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget (!), which strikes me as a far-right, ill-advised fantasy. However as it will never pass, his other qualities make him a standout.    HF note: have heard once. Impressive, young candidate. Website: jasonkander.com Make check to:  Missourians for Kander and mail to Missourians for Kander, PO Box 548, Columbia, MO 65205. To volunteer: http://go.jasonkander.com/page/s/join-jason.

6. FL Congressman Patrick Murphy

Race:  This is such an important state that effort and money are worth it, even though Murphy is consistently seen as behind Marco Rubio, and this is the one close Senate race in which the Republicans have a bigger tv-ad war chest than the Democrats: $9.6 v. $4.2 million. However, Rubio has only 44%, not 50%; Clinton has a slight edge in the state; and Obama has done tv ads for both Hillary and Murphy, including in Spanish. Key positions:  growing the middle class; immigration reform; protecting voting rights; strengthening Social Security and Medicare. HF note:  no personal contact.  [JTM note: Alice and I have attended at least one fundraiser for him and found him to be fiscally knowledgable and alert, and socially liberal; he was the youngest person in the Congress when he was first elected; he has been elected twice with 60% of the vote in a GOP-leaning district.] Website:  www.murphyforflorida.com.  Make check to: Murphy for Florida. Mail to: Murphy for Florida, 4521 PGA Blvd #412,  Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

To volunteer: https://www.murphyforflorida.com/get-involved/

7. AZ Ann Kirkpatrick, Arizona Congresswoman 

Special note: Ann Kirkpatrick seriously lags John McCain in most polls. Also, not only does he have universal name recognition, but, because of his Senate seniority, through his committee assignments he controls a lot of benefits for Arizona. 

However, I am such a fan of Ann Kirkpatrick herself, her broad and well-organized campaign on the ground, and her money-raising team that her race is listed here as one to support. 

And she has some new advantages. McCain has said he will veto any Hillary Supreme Court nominee, which is bound to hurt him. Hillary is making a major push to take this Red State, with Michelle Obama campaigning for her there. Ann raised $3 million in the 3^rd quarter. At the very least, help to her now can tee up another run in 2018, when Jeff Flake’s seat will be up.

Key positions: pro choice, pro LGBTQ rights, fighter for veterans, paid maternity leave, immigration reform, Affordable Care Act. HF note:  We have met twice at length, plus I gave a fundraiser for her, and was on the host committee for a second, so I have a good feel for her. Sweet, shrewd, down-to-earth, honest, compassionate. The word people at both fundraisers used most often to characterize her was “impressive.” Website: kirkpatrickforsenate.com  Donate online at https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/akesplash?recurring=true&refcode=website

Make check to: Kirkpatrick for Senate and mail to Kirkpatrick for Senate, PO Box 34421, Phoenix, AZ 8506 To volunteer:  http://www.kirkpatrickforsenate.com/landing/volunteer/

15 Dem Challengers
In State Alphabetic Order

Dem Challengers are seeking to fill a Republican-held or vacant seat.

Table Column Headings

• C or O? Challenger, or Open seat? (“Open” means the incumbent is not running)
• DSCC: Endorsed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which backs candidates in races they think are important, and winnable but not sure, hence where money is likely to have the most impact.
• EMILY’s List: Endorsed by EMILY’s List
• DFA: Endorsed by Democracy for America, whose candidates tend to be very progressive. (DFA backed Bernie for President.)

How to Donate: ActBlue or Check?

If you like donating frequently with small amounts, then ActBlue and other intermediaries are useful in reducing the administrative burden for campaigns of taking credit card charges and having to comply with reporting requirements for gifts. The greater frequency of small donations allows for faster feedback to candidates on how they are doing. However, donating by check keeps your email address more private and more of your money gets to the candidate without the haircuts taken by your credit card company and ActBlue.

DEBT CEILING | 8 Proposals

Michael D. Shear, online July 15, 2011 (in the Saturday, July 16 NY Times), provides a “cheat sheet” on the various proposals for meeting the August 2 deadline for raising the debt ceiling. Comment: Not mentioned is the fact that Both Moody’s and S&P have threatened to lower their triple-A ratings on long-term U.S. debt if the deadline is not met, with S&P going further and expressing hawkish views about the terms of any compromise. The threat of a downgrade at least partly offsets the argument that cuts in spending now might bring on a double-dip recession. Here is an abbreviated summary of eight overlapping and evolving proposals, with a few additional facts from a Washington newsletter (W&J Washington Update, July 15) and other sources, and my comments:

1. The Obama-Boehner $4 Trillion Grand Bargain.The “big deal” worked on between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) would add up to more than $4 trillion in deficit reductions over ten years, with $1 trillion of it from new tax revenue. But the tax revenue portion of this bargain made it unpalatable to Republicans. Boehner backed off from this last weekend but the President still likes this idea. Comment: S&P also likes this approach, saying that there is a 50 percent chance it will downgrade U.S. debt within 90 days, and suggesting that anything less than a $4 trillion deficit-reduction plan over ten years could trigger a downgrade.

2. The Biden Half-Bargain. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) revealed some details of VP Joe Biden's plan to cut $2 trillion. Health care would lose about $340 billion. Reducing the debt would save $300 billlion. The Biden plan included several hundred billion dollars of new revenues from sources such as owners of private jets, hedge-fund managers and large oil companies. Cantor said the new tax revenues were a nonstarter. Comment: This would add up to about the $2.4 trillion of the debt-ceiling increase; it would not meet the S&P $4 trillion standard.

3. Cantor’s $2.4 Trillion Cuts.Cantor proposed $2.4 trillion worth of spending cuts without revenue increases. The President responded that these cuts are too deep, and would affect middle-class programs - student loans, Veterans’ benefits, Medicare and Medicaid – and that the cuts should be offset at least in part by higher taxes on wealthy individuals. Comment: Focusing only on the spending side does not meet the test of fairness.

4. White House: Proposed $1.5+ Trillion Cuts. President Obama has proposed cuts of $1.5-$1.7 trillion. Cantor says this would not be enough. Comment: Even if these cuts were matched by $700-$900 billion in new taxes to get to the $2.4 trillion of the debt increase, the total is below the S&P standard.

5. Cantor’s Stepwise Debt Increases. Rep. Cantor has suggested votes that would increase the debt ceiling in steps, with each step allowing Republicans to call again for more spending cuts. President Obama is opposed, saying that he wants to deal with the long-term deficit problem now. Comment: The President is operating on the sound principle that painful adjustments are best made as part of a package that shows fairness in the bearing of sacrifices.

6. The “Balanced Budget” Amendment.  In the background, House conservatives are seeking to tie an increase in the debt ceiling to the passage of a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to balance the budget. Another proposal is a cap on federal spending as a share of GDP. Comment: Would such an amendment be ratified by two-thirds of the states? Unlikely. It would make Keynesian counter-cyclical fiscal policies more difficult, limiting the ability of future fiscal policymakers to respond to a recession or depression. (But on the plus side it might end the practice of financing wars with new debt.)

7. The McConnell Three-Step Option. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) proposes allowing President Obama to raise the debt ceiling in three steps ($700 billion, $900 billion and $900 billion) between now and the end of 2012. Even if the Senate joins the House in voting against the debt-ceiling hikes, the President could veto their opposing legislation and go ahead. Comment: This would put the onus on the President but would also get past the deadline – it’s a better alternative than defaulting on debt payments, but does not address the long-term deficit concerns of the rating agencies.

8. The Hybrid Obama-McConnell. President Obama would be given the authority to raise the debt ceiling in return for the President’s commitment to the level of cuts that he proposed as a starting point. Then a base-closing-type commission would come up with additional deficit-reduction plans by the end of 2011 for an up-or-down vote. Comment: A well-thought-through package like this might conceivably be enough for the rating agencies, at least for this year.