Who Will Fill Biden’s Cabinet?

12 min readNov 24, 2020

As Joseph R. Biden Jr. begins his presidential transition, here are his choices so far, and some of the names that have emerged for other top jobs in his administration.

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has signaled his intention to draw from a diverse cross section of America in building his cabinet. Unlike President Trump’s cabinet, which is more white and male than any in nearly 40 years, Mr. Biden’s list of likely top advisers promises to reflect 21st-century sensibilities. He has already named several people to his national security team and the Treasury, and is expected to announce more selections in the coming days.

“Across the board — from our classrooms to our courtrooms to the president’s cabinet — we have to make sure that our leadership and our institutions actually look like America,” Mr. Biden wrote in an op-ed article last summer.

In naming the group, Mr. Biden must appease progressives within his own party while gaining support from Republicans who may still control the Senate. Mr. Biden is likely to include Republicans in his cabinet as he attempts to engineer a working relationship between the parties.

Mr. Biden’s transition team, led by former Senator Ted Kaufman of Delaware, a longtime confidant, already has been working on a list of candidates.

These are the people he has selected for his cabinet so far, and the names that have emerged as possible picks for other posts.

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Ms. Thomas-Greenfield is a career Foreign Service officer who served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 2013 to 2017 and, before that, as ambassador to Liberia. Most recently, she has worked as senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group, a global business strategy firm based in Washington.

AVRIL HAINES: A former deputy C.I.A. director and former deputy national security adviser, Ms. Haines held several posts at Columbia University since leaving the Obama administration.

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: A Cuban-American lawyer, Mr. Mayorkas was responsible for running Citizenship and Immigration Services at the department under Mr. Obama. He also served as a federal prosecutor in central California. Under Mr. Obama, Mr. Mayorkas was regarded as instrumental in negotiating a memorandum of understanding with Cuba.

JAKE SULLIVAN: Mr. Sullivan served as deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and as an adviser on national security issues to Mr. Biden when he was vice president. In the private sector, he co-founded National Security Action, a left-leaning policy advocacy group that opposed the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

JOHN KERRY: A former Massachusetts senator and Democratic presidential nominee, Mr. Kerry clocked more than a million miles of travel while serving as secretary of state from 2013 to 2017. He has long expressed concerns about climate change, and the appointment of someone of his stature was regarded as a signal that the Biden administration intends to pay the issue serious attention.

ANTONY BLINKEN: An aide to Mr. Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr. Blinken previously served as Mr. Biden’s top foreign affairs adviser. He also served as deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration, as well as deputy national security adviser. More recently, he has been managing director of the Penn Biden Center, an international policy center at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also been a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.JANET L. YELLEN: Well known because of her high-profile service as chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, Ms. Yellen was also president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Bill Clinton. She is a labor economist who believes that government regulation and intervention are required to ensure that markets run efficiently.

Where Biden Has Not Announced His Choice
While Mr. Biden has focused on setting down his national security team, there are several high-profile posts that he is expected to fill over the coming days and weeks, including the secretary of defense and the secretary of health and human services, who will play a critical role in the new administration’s response to the pandemic. Here are the leading contenders for these and other jobs.HEIDI HEITKAMP: A former North Dakota senator who served on the Agriculture Committee, Ms. Heitkamp is a strong advocate for rural issues. She has criticized the Trump administration’s trade policies, which led to tariffs on soybean exports to China.

AMY KLOBUCHAR: A Minnesota senator, former prosecutor in Minneapolis and candidate for the Democratic nomination, Ms. Klobuchar, who was at one point in contention for Mr. Biden’s running mate, has advocated increasing support for agricultural commodities, disaster programs and federal crop insurance. (Ms. Klobuchar has also been mentioned as a possible attorney general.)TOM DONILON: Mr. Donilon, who served as national security adviser under President Barack Obama, has been tied to Mr. Biden since 1987, when he worked on his first presidential campaign. A lawyer, he also oversaw the transition planning for the Clinton-Kaine campaign in 2016.
MIKE MORELL: Mr. Morell is a former analyst at the C.I.A. who served as the agency’s deputy director and twice as its acting director. He is now in private business, chairing the geopolitical risk practice at Beacon Global Strategies, a consulting firm in Washington.

TAMMY DUCKWORTH: A former Army lieutenant colonel who lost both legs when her helicopter came under fire in Iraq in 2004, Ms. Duckworth, a senator from Illinois, was an assistant secretary of veterans affairs during the Obama administration. She was among women considered as Mr. Biden’s running mate. If appointed, she would become the first Thai-American cabinet member in addition to the first woman in the role of defense secretary. (Ms. Duckworth has also been mentioned as a potential secretary of veterans affairs.)
MICHÈLE A. FLOURNOY Ms. Flournoy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, is regarded as the leading choice for this job. Ms. Flournoy, who would be the first woman in this role, has advised Mr. Biden’s campaign on defense issues and is regarded as highly qualified. Her industry ties — she serves on the board of the defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton — could annoy progressives.

JEH JOHNSON: Mr. Johnson is a former secretary of homeland security who previously served as general counsel at the Pentagon. He would be the first Black secretary of defense. His membership on the board of the defense contractor Lockheed Martin could be a sticking point for progressives. (Mr. Johnson has also been mentioned as a candidate for attorney general and director of national intelligence.)
LILY ESKELSEN GARCÍA: A former teacher and former president of the National Education Association, a labor union, Ms. Eskelsen García ran for Congress in Utah in 1998 and campaigned for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race.
RANDI WEINGARTEN: Ms. Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, is a former Brooklyn public high school teacher who previously served as president of the United Federation of Teachers.
JAY INSLEE: After failing to gain traction in his presidential bid — in which climate change was his primary focus — Mr. Inslee was easily re-elected to a third term as Washington’s governor. Environmental activists are promoting his name, pointing to his plan to close U.S. coal plants by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2045. (Mr. Inslee has also been promoted for appointment as secretary of the interior or head of the Environmental Protection Agency.)

ERNEST MONIZ: A nuclear physicist, Mr. Moniz served in the Obama administration as energy secretary, a job that largely involves managing the country’s nuclear arsenal. He played a critical role in negotiating technical details of the Iran nuclear deal. Since leaving the administration, he has been chief executive of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, which works to prevent nuclear, biological and cyber attacks.

ELIZABETH SHERWOOD-RANDALL: Ms. Sherwood-Randall is a professor at Georgia Tech who served in the Obama administration as deputy secretary of energy, where she managed the National Nuclear Security Administration and 17 federal laboratories. She also served as a White House adviser on weapons of mass destruction and arms control. During the Clinton administration, she worked as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia.

MANDY COHEN: As the secretary of North Carolina’s Health and Human Services Department, Dr. Cohen is known for her ambitious effort to transform the way the state pays for health care. A physician, Dr. Cohen served as the chief operating officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Obama administration.

DAVID KESSLER: A former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Kessler, a physician, was credited with tackling the tobacco industry and helping speed approval of more than a dozen drugs to treat H.I.V. In doing so, he worked closely with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.

MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM: Ms. Lujan Grisham, the governor of New Mexico and a former member of Congress, also previously served as cabinet secretary for New Mexico’s departments of health and aging. Ms. Lujan Grisham who was among those considered for Mr. Biden’s running mate, was recently appointed as one of five co-chairs of Mr. Biden’s transition team. (Ms. Lujan Grisham also has been mentioned as a possible interior secretary.)

KAREN BASS: Ms. Bass, a longtime member of Congress from California, chairs the Congressional Black Caucus. A community organizer before she entered politics, she is well-versed on the housing challenges facing her South Los Angeles district. She was among the women Mr. Biden considered as his running mate. (A physician assistant by training, Ms. Bass has also been mentioned as a potential secretary of health and human services.)

ALVIN BROWN: A former mayor of Jacksonville, Fla., Mr. Brown was an adviser to Andrew Cuomo during his tenure as secretary of housing and urban development, worked on the Clinton-Gore transition team, and served at the Commerce Department during the Clinton administration.

MAURICE JONES: Mr. Jones, a top deputy at the department during the Obama administration, he currently runs the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a financial institution that makes loans and provides grants to assist underserved communities. Mr. Jones also served as Virginia’s secretary of commerce under Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS: The mayor of Atlanta, Ms. Bottoms has been a campaign surrogate for Mr. Biden and was among the women he considered as a running mate. Ms. Bottoms has made affordable housing a priority, proposing a $1 billion public-private initiative to improve access to housing in Atlanta.

STEVE BULLOCK: The governor of Montana, Mr. Bullock recently lost a close Senate race to Steve Daines, a Republican incumbent. Mr. Bullock has been active in environmental issues: In 2014, he signed an executive order creating a habitat for sage grouse, and as state attorney general, he wrote an opinion guaranteeing access to public lands.

DEB HAALAND: Indigenous groups are also promoting Representative Haaland of New Mexico, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe. The Interior Department presides over millions of acres held in trust as tribal land. Ms. Haaland serves as vice chairwoman of the House Natural Resources Committee.

MARTIN HEINRICH: Yet another New Mexico resident mentioned for the interior job, Senator Heinrich, an avid outdoorsman, has promoted the idea of developing a national outdoor recreation plan using federal lands.

TOM UDALL: A New Mexico senator who decided not to run for a third term, Mr. Udall has fought to protect federal property from oil and gas drilling and has promoted the designation of wilderness areas in New Mexico. If Mr. Udall is picked, he will be keeping up a family tradition: His father, Stewart Udall, served as interior secretary during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

XAVIER BECERRA: Mr. Becerra has developed a progressive track record as a California state official and during his career in Congress. He succeeded Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as California attorney general and is now widely viewed as a possible heir to her Senate seat.

DOUG JONES: Following his unlikely Senate win in a special election in deep-red Alabama in 2017, Mr. Jones, a former federal prosecutor, was unable to hold on to his seat this year. He is widely admired within the party for pulling off that upset, as well as for his impeccable civil rights record. He is white, though, and some of Mr. Biden’s supporters may want the Justice Department in the hands of a Black or Latino attorney general.

TOM PEREZ: The Democratic Party chairman, Mr. Perez has had a long career in government, notably as secretary of labor and, earlier, as assistant attorney general for civil rights. In that role, he led a federal investigation of Trayvon Martin’s killing in Sanford, Fla., brought a lawsuit against the Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio for a pattern of abuses against Latinos, and enforced civil rights laws for gay and transgender people. (Mr. Perez has also been mentioned as a candidate for labor secretary.)

SALLY YATES: Ms. Yates, a former U.S. attorney in Atlanta and deputy attorney general, briefly held the role of acting attorney general during the early weeks of the Trump administration. Her tenure lasted 10 days; she was fired for insubordination by Mr. Trump when she advised him that the Justice Department could not defend his ban on travel to the United States by citizens of several Muslim-majority countries.

SETH HARRIS: Mr. Harris, a former deputy labor secretary who served as acting secretary in 2013, also advised the Obama administration on legislation before the Senate. A lawyer, he is a fellow at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

ANDY LEVIN: The Michigan congressman is a former labor organizer for the Service Employees International Union and later the A.F.L.-C.I.O., where he was assistant director of organizing. He also worked as a staff lawyer in the Labor Department.

BERNIE SANDERS: The Vermont senator is interested in serving as labor secretary, according to a person close to him, and his camp and Mr. Biden’s team have been seriously discussing the possibility since he withdrew from the presidential race in April. There is no deal, and it is still unclear what role Mr. Sanders would play in a Biden administration.

JULIE SU: Ms. Su is the secretary of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency and a former California labor commissioner. She is an expert on workers’ rights and a past recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant.

ERIC GARCETTI: The Los Angeles mayor has promoted the use of public transportation during his administration, purchasing a clean-air bus fleet and proposing fare-free bus and train rides. He has also released a plan to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.

PETE BUTTIGIEG: Mr. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and a Democratic presidential candidate, is a former Navy officer who served in Afghanistan. As one of only two candidates for the Democratic nomination with military experience, Mr. Buttigieg, who is gay, was endorsed by a progressive group of veterans, VoteVets. (Mr. Buttigieg has also been mentioned as ambassador to the United Nations.)
ROBERT A. McDONALD: A former veterans affairs secretary during the Obama administration, Mr. McDonald could be making a return to his old job. An Army veteran and a former chief executive of Procter & Gamble, during his administration he placed an emphasis on reducing homelessness among veterans.

Reporting was contributed by Julian Barnes, Katie Benner, Helene Cooper, Coral Davenport, Sydney Ember, Erica Green, Lara Jakes, Thomas Kaplan, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Alan Rappeport, David Sanger, Stephanie Saul, Noam Scheiber, Eric Schmitt, Jeanna Smialek, Jennifer Steinhauer, Jim Tankersley and Glenn Thrush.

Who Will Fill Biden’s Cabinet?

Written by Drphucmdang