Posted December 16, 2020 | by KimS | in Biden Administration, Cabinet, DemDaily

DemDaily: The Cabinet Countdown

December 16, 2020

Buttigieg will be the first openly LGBTQ+ Cabinet member (CNN)

Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm are among the latest nominees for the Biden-Harris Cabinet.

In the musical chairs of nominees, which has centered more on the players than the position, the names are still shifting daily.

Buttigieg, a veteran who waged an impressive presidential primary campaign and was thought to be among the leading choices for Veterans Affairs, is now slated to head up Transportation.

One week ago Granholm was not in the top five on any list, but the dynamic former Michigan Governor, credited with steering her state through a recession and working with the Obama administration on an auto industry bailout, will now lead Energy.

Future Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg)

Over the last three weeks, Biden has announced key members of his White House, national security, economic policy, domestic policy, health, energy and environmental teams.

Among the top 15 cabinet position, Attorney General and the Secretaries of the Interior, Commerce, Labor and Education are still unnamed.

In addition to Buttigieg and Granholm, Gina McCarthy was announced for Domestic Climate Czar, Michael Regan for EPA Administrator, and Ali Zaidi for Deputy White House Climate Coordinator.

Biden-Harris Administration

Biden, who promised that his Cabinet will be the most racially diverse in history, has so far chosen eight women and ten men for Cabinet or Cabinet-level posts, including nine people of color. If all are confirmed, it would break the record for the most women ever to serve in a Cabinet.

Other senior posts that may be elevated to Cabinet-level include Jake Sullivan as National Security Advisor, Susan Rice as Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and Dr. Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General.