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Cabinet of Joe Biden

Joe Biden assumed office as President of the United States on January 20, 2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.

Before confirmation and during congressional hearings, a high-level career member of an executive department heads this pre-confirmed cabinet on an acting basis. The Cabinet's creation was part of the transition of power following the 2020 United States presidential election.

In addition to the 15 heads of executive departments, there are 10 Cabinet-level officials. Biden altered his cabinet structure, elevating the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers,[1] director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy[2] and ambassador to the United Nations as Cabinet-level positions.[3] Biden initially removed the director of the Central Intelligence Agency from his Cabinet, but reversed the move in July 2023.[4][5]

Confirmations had occurred at the slowest pace of any presidential cabinet in modern history that resulted from delays in facilitating an orderly transition of power and passing the organizing resolution for governing an evenly split Senate following the 2020–2021 United States Senate runoff elections in Georgia; and the second impeachment of Donald Trump.[6] By March 2021, a pick-up in the first half of the month brought confirmations close to pace.[7] Biden is the first president since Ronald Reagan in 1981 to have all of his original Cabinet secretary nominees confirmed to their posts.[8]

This page documents the confirmation process for Cabinet nominees of the Biden administration. They are listed according to the United States order of precedence.

Cabinet

All permanent members of the Cabinet of the United States as heads of executive departments require the advice and consent of the United States Senate following appointment by the president before taking office. The vice presidency is exceptional in that the position requires an election to office pursuant to the United States Constitution. The president may also designate heads of other agencies and non-Senate-confirmed members of the Executive Office of the President as Cabinet-level members of the Cabinet. The Cabinet meets with the president in the Cabinet Room, a room adjacent to the Oval Office.

The following have been named as Cabinet appointees by the president of the United States.[9]

Confirmation process

Below is a list of confirmations for Cabinet positions, Cabinet-level positions, and other significant positions that were approved through the Senate from January 2021 onwards, by a recorded roll-call vote, rather than by a voice vote.

Arati PrabhakarEric LanderIsabel GuzmanJared BernsteinCecilia RouseLinda Thomas-GreenfieldKatherine TaiAvril HainesShalanda YoungNeera TandenMichael S. ReganAlejandro MayorkasDenis McDonoughMiguel CardonaJennifer GranholmPete ButtigiegMarcia FudgeXavier BecerraJulie SuMarty WalshGina RaimondoTom VilsackDeb HaalandMerrick GarlandLloyd AustinJanet YellenAntony Blinken

Confirmation votes

Committee process

Notes

  1. ^ After final passage, Austin's waiver to serve as Secretary of Defense was signed into law by President Biden on January 22, 2021.
  2. ^ Due to the tied vote in committee, a discharge petition was required to bring Becerra's nomination to the floor, which passed 51–48 on March 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Committee votes scheduled for February 24, 2021, were cancelled that day, prior to withdrawal.
  4. ^ Burns was elevated to the Cabinet on July 21, 2023.[10]

Elected officials

President

On November 7, 2020, it was announced that Democrat Joe Biden defeated the incumbent president, Donald Trump, in the 2020 presidential election. Joe Biden received 306 electoral votes compared to Trump's 232 electoral votes, with 270 needed to win the presidency. He assumed office on January 20, 2021.

Vice President

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) was elected vice president of the United States, receiving 306 electoral votes, compared to the incumbent vice president, Mike Pence, who received 232 electoral votes. An elected vice president does not require Senate confirmation, and the vice president does not serve at the president's pleasure.

Having assumed office on January 20, 2021, she is the first female vice president of the United States as well as the first African American and Asian American to hold the second-highest office.

Nominated candidates for Cabinet positions

The following cabinet positions are listed in order of their creation (also used as the basis for the United States presidential line of succession).

Secretary of State

A nomination for Secretary of State is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Foreign Relations Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of the Treasury

A nomination for Secretary of the Treasury is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Finance Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of Defense

A nomination for Secretary of Defense is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Armed Services Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote. Biden's announced nominee, retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, required a congressional waiver to be granted under the National Security Act of 1947 before he was confirmed.[17]

Waiver process:

Confirmation process:

Attorney General

A nomination for Attorney General is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Judiciary Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of the Interior

A nomination for Secretary of the Interior is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote. Biden reportedly offered the position to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, but she turned it down.[23]

Secretary of Agriculture

A nomination for Secretary of Agriculture is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of Commerce

A nomination for Secretary of Commerce is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of Labor

A nomination for Secretary of Labor is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Marty Walsh

Julie Su

On February 7, 2023, it was reported that Walsh would be resigning in the coming days in order to become President of the National Hockey League Players' Association. Walsh will be the second member of the presidential cabinet to resign, after Eric Lander, who resigned as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in early 2022. After pressure from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Biden nominated Deputy Secretary Julie Su to the position.[32]

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Although historically the nominee also holds meetings with the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, officially a nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the United States Senate Committee on Finance, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

A nomination for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of Transportation

A nomination for Secretary of Transportation is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of Energy

The nomination of a secretary-designate is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of Education

A nomination for Secretary of Education is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

A nomination for Secretary of Veterans Affairs is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Secretary of Homeland Security

A nomination for Secretary of Homeland Security is reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, then presented to the full Senate for a vote.

Nominated candidates for Cabinet-level positions

Cabinet-level officials have positions that are considered to be of Cabinet level, but which are not heads of the executive departments. Which exact positions that are considered to be cabinet-level varies with each president. Biden has announced he will elevate three positions to Cabinet-level, while removing the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.[49]

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Neera Tanden

Shalanda Young

Director of National Intelligence

Trade Representative

The U.S. trade representative has been a Cabinet-level member since 1974, the beginning of Gerald Ford's presidency.

Ambassador to the United Nations

The UN ambassador was previously in the Cabinet from 1953 to 1989, 1993 to 2001, and 2009 to 2018.

Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers

This position was previously in the Cabinet from 2009 to 2017.

Cecilia Rouse

Jared Bernstein

Administrator of the Small Business Administration

Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Science Advisor to the President

Biden elevated this position to the Cabinet for the first time, emphasizing the importance of science in the administration.[66]

His staff role as Science Advisor to the President does not require Senate confirmation, and he began the role on January 25, 2021.[67]

Eric Lander

Arati Prabhakar

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

This position was previously in the Cabinet from 2017 to 2021.

White House Chief of Staff

The White House chief of staff has traditionally been the highest-ranking staff employee of the White House. The responsibilities of the chief of staff are both managerial and advisory over the president's official business. The chief of staff is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the president; it does not require Senate confirmation. The first Cabinet or Cabinet-level position appointee announced by Biden was White House chief of staff Ron Klain.[74] He stepped down in February 2023, and he was succeeded by Jeff Zients.[75][76][77]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Biden held the chairmanship from January 3 to January 20, then was succeeded by Jesse Helms until June 6, and thereafter held the position until 2003.

References

  1. ^ Johnson, Martin (December 1, 2020). "Biden elevates Economic Advisers chair to Cabinet". The Hill.
  2. ^ Zimmer, Carl (January 16, 2021). "Biden to Elevate Science Adviser to His Cabinet". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Falk, Pamela (November 20, 2020). "Will Biden tap a U.N. ambassador to "reclaim America's leading position"?". CBS News.
  4. ^ Lee, Matthew (January 11, 2021). "Biden chooses veteran diplomat Burns as CIA director". Associated Press.
  5. ^ a b Merchant, Normaan (July 21, 2023). "Biden names CIA Director William Burns to his Cabinet". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Jaffe, Alexandra (March 2, 2021). "Biden's Cabinet half-empty after slow start in confirmations". Associated Press. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Levine, Marianne. "Senate revs its confirmation engine to fill Biden's Cabinet". Politico. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Liptak, Kevin (March 23, 2021). "Biden first president in decades to have first-pick Cabinet secretaries confirmed". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Biden Cabinet – White House.gov
  10. ^ "Statement from President Joe Biden on Director Bill Burns". July 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "Joe Biden: The President-Elect". President-Elect Joe Biden. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  12. ^ "Kamala Harris: The Vice President-Elect". President-Elect Joe Biden. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  13. ^ PN78-3 – Antony John Blinken – Department of State
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Cabinet". President-Elect Joe Biden. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  15. ^ PN78-24 – Janet Louise Yellen – Department of the Treasury
  16. ^ Franck, Thomas (November 30, 2020). "Biden announces economic team, confirms Janet Yellen as Treasury nominee". CNBC. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  17. ^ Foran, Clare (January 22, 2021). "Senate confirms Lloyd Austin to be first Black defense secretary". CNN. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  18. ^ H.R.335 – To provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of the Armed Forces.
  19. ^ PN78-1 – Lloyd James Austin – Department of Defense
  20. ^ Seligman, Lara; Pager, Tyler; O'Brien, Connor; Bertrand, Natasha (December 7, 2020). "Biden picks retired general Lloyd Austin to run Pentagon". POLITICO. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  21. ^ PN78-7 – Merrick Brian Garland – Department of Justice
  22. ^ "Biden to name Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general". AP NEWS. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  23. ^ Alonso-zaldivar, Ricardo (December 4, 2020). "Sources: Lujan Grisham offered, turned down Interior post". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  24. ^ PN78-11 – Debra Anne Haaland – Department of the Interior
  25. ^ Eilperin, Juliet; Grandoni, Dino. "Biden picks Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) to be first Native American interior secretary". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  26. ^ PN78-22 – Thomas J. Vilsack – Department of Agriculture
  27. ^ Nichols, Hans (December 8, 2020). "Biden to pick Vilsack for agriculture secretary, Fudge for HUD". Axios. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  28. ^ PN78-15 – Gina Marie Raimondo – Department of Commerce
  29. ^ "Biden to nominate Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to be commerce secretary". www.cbsnews.com. January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  30. ^ PN78-23 – Martin Joseph Walsh – Department of Labor
  31. ^ Conradis, Brandon (January 7, 2021). "Biden taps Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for Labor secretary: report". TheHill. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  32. ^ "CAPAC Endorses Julie Su as the Nation's Next Secretary of Labor | Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC)". capac-chu.house.gov. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  33. ^ PN388 — Julie A. Su — Department of Labor
  34. ^ Scheiber, Noam (February 28, 2023). "Biden Nominates Julie Su as U.S. Labor Secretary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  35. ^ Cole, Devan (February 16, 2021). "Senate committee to hold confirmation hearing for Biden's HHS nominee next week". CNN. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  36. ^ PN78-2 – Xavier Becerra – Department of Health and Human Services
  37. ^ PN78-6 – Marcia Louise Fudge – Department of Housing and Urban Development
  38. ^ "Biden to tap Marcia Fudge to lead housing agency". POLITICO. December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  39. ^ PN78-4 – Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg – Department of Transportation
  40. ^ Easley, Jonathan (May 5, 2019). "Documents provide glimpse into Buttigieg's military service". TheHill. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  41. ^ Nick Niedzwiadek (December 16, 2020). "Biden points to 'precedent-busting appointments' as he rolls out Buttigieg pick". Politico. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  42. ^ PN78-8 – Jennifer Mulhern Granholm – Department of Energy
  43. ^ "Biden to tap former Michigan Gov. Granholm to lead Energy Department". POLITICO. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  44. ^ PN78-5 – Miguel A. Cardona – Department of Education
  45. ^ Meckler, Laura; Strauss, Valerie; Viser, Matt (December 22, 2020). "Biden picks Miguel Cardona, Connecticut schools chief, as education secretary". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  46. ^ PN78-14 – Denis Richard McDonough – Department of Veterans Affairs
  47. ^ "Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs". President-Elect Joe Biden. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  48. ^ PN78-13 – Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas – Department of Homeland Security
  49. ^ "Biden taps longtime diplomat William Burns for CIA director". www.cbsnews.com. January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  50. ^ PN78-16 – Michael Stanley Regan – Environmental Protection Agency
  51. ^ Dennis, Brady; Mufson, Steven; Eilperin, Juliet. "Biden picks top North Carolina environmental official to run EPA". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  52. ^ PN78-19 – Neera Tanden – Executive Office of the President
  53. ^ Mattingly, Phil; Sullivan, Kate (March 2, 2021). "White House pulls Tanden nomination". CNN. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  54. ^ PN1437 – Shalanda Young – Executive Office of the President
  55. ^ PN78-10 – Avril Danica Haines – Office of the Director of National Intelligence
  56. ^ PN78-18 – Katherine C. Tai – Executive Office of the President
  57. ^ PN78-20 – Linda Thomas-Greenfield – Department of State
  58. ^ Jakes, Lara; Crowley, Michael; Sanger, David E. (November 23, 2020). "Biden Chooses Antony Blinken, Defender of Global Alliances, as Secretary of State". The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  59. ^ PN78-17 – Cecilia Elena Rouse – Executive Office of the President
  60. ^ PN383 — Jared Bernstein — Executive Office of the President
  61. ^ "Biden announces reshaped economic team, naming 2 new top advisers". CBS News. February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  62. ^ "Biden appoints Lael Brainard, Jared Bernstein to key economic jobs". Axios. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  63. ^ PN78-9 – Isabella Casillas Guzman – Small Business Administration
  64. ^ Collins, Andrew Restuccia and Eliza (January 8, 2021). "Biden Taps Boston Mayor, Rhode Island Governor for Cabinet Positions". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  65. ^ "Isabel Guzman, Small Business Administrator". President-Elect Joe Biden. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  66. ^ a b Kaplan, Sarah. "Biden will elevate White House science office to cabinet-level". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  67. ^ Facher, Lev (February 1, 2021). "Eric Lander Is Brilliant, Connected, and Controversial. Now Joe Biden Wants Him to 'Reinvigorate' American Science". Stat. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  68. ^ PN78-12 – Eric S. Lander – Executive Office of the President
  69. ^ Sink, Justin. "Embattled Biden Science Adviser Eric Lander Resigns after Outcry". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  70. ^ "President-elect Biden Announces Key Members of his White House Science Team". President-Elect Joe Biden. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  71. ^ PN2267 — Arati Prabhakar — Executive Office of the President
  72. ^ PN82 — William Joseph Burns — Central Intelligence Agency
  73. ^ "Statement from President Joe Biden on Director Bill Burns". The White House. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  74. ^ Schrer, Michael (November 11, 2020). "Biden's choice of Ron Klain to run White House signals rejection of Trump-era chaos". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  75. ^ Tyler Pager; Yasmeen Abutaleb (January 22, 2023). "Jeff Zients to be Biden's next chief of staff". Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  76. ^ Phil Mattingly; Kaitlan Collins (January 22, 2023). "Jeff Zients to replace Ron Klain as White House chief of staff". CNN. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  77. ^ Anders Hagstrom; Brooke Singman; Greg Wehner (January 22, 2023). "Biden to tap former COVID czar Jeff Zients as new chief of staff". Fox News. Retrieved January 22, 2023.

External links