These are Biden's cabinet appointments 7:33
(CNN Spanish) -
US President-elect Joe Biden seemed to pour a bucket of cold water on the idea of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders being part of his cabinet by suggesting that, instead, he would like to keep them in the Senate to help you advance a progressive agenda.
Biden told NBC in an interview broadcast Tuesday night that there is already "significant representation among progressives" in the administration, although "there is nothing really out of the question."
"But one thing is really important: getting someone out of the Senate, getting someone out of the House (of Representatives), particularly a person of importance, is really a difficult decision that would have to be made," Biden said.
"I have a very ambitious and very progressive agenda, and it will take really strong leaders in the House and Senate to achieve it," he added.
Biden said he was willing to consider naming a Republican who voted for President Donald Trump to a position in his administration.
He said about it: “I want this country to be united.
The purpose of our administration is, once again, to unite us.
We cannot keep this virulent political dialogue going.
It has to end".
The comments are likely to discourage those on the left who want to see Biden appoint prominent progressives to the highest positions in his administration.
Sanders, in campaign to be Secretary of Labor
Sanders has recently stepped up a campaign to become secretary of labor in Biden's cabinet and has sought the support of top union leaders, CNN previously reported.
In a particularly direct comment to CNN's Wolf Blitzer earlier this month, the self-described Democratic Socialist said he would accept the job if offered.
“If I had a portfolio that would allow me to stand up and fight for working families, would I do it?
Yes, I would, ”Sanders said.
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Warren has been a favorite progressive to run the Treasury Department, but CNN reported this week that Biden will choose Janet Yellen, former chair of the Federal Reserve, as his secretary of the Treasury.
Warren praised Yellen as an "excellent choice for Secretary of the Treasury" in a tweet Monday.
He described her as "smart, tough and principled" and "one of the most successful Fed chairmen in history."
"I look forward to working with Secretary Yellen to strengthen our economy, address inequality, and protect consumers," Warren wrote in a second tweet.
If Biden rules out elected lawmakers, it wouldn't just affect high-profile names like Warren and Sanders.
Michigan Representative Andy Levin has been endorsed by various unions as a candidate to head the Department of Labor.
And Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge has support in some quarters to be the next Secretary of Agriculture.
A de facto ban on appointments from the ranks of Congress would cut both their paths to the cabinet.
The current situation of the Senate
Georgia Could Give Democrats Senate Key 3:02
Warren and Sanders are both from states with Republican governors, which means that if they left the Senate to join the administration, the governors have the power to nominate Republicans to fill their seats until a special election.
But Vermont Gov. Phil Scott suggested he would fill the seat with an independent who would join the Democrats, as Sanders does.
Republicans currently control the Senate by a very narrow margin.
However, Senate control will be determined by two Georgia runoff elections that will take place in early January.
If Republicans maintain control of the Senate, this could affect who Biden appoints and who is confirmed by a majority vote.
Warren and Sanders are stars of the progressive left and could struggle to win the votes of Republicans or even some moderate Democrats.
Biden has already announced who will be several high-ranking White House officials and other Cabinet-level positions.
His first announcement that Ron Klain would serve as White House chief of staff received praise from both
establishment
Democrats
and party progressives.
Warren called Klain an "excellent choice" that has "earned the trust of the entire Democratic Party."
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Klain's selection was "good news and an encouraging choice."
The announcements Biden already made for his cabinet
Analyst: Biden chooses cabinet with focus on diversity 0:59
On Tuesday, Biden announced six key members of his national security and foreign policy teams.
Each of those selected by Biden spoke at an event in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden named Antony Blinken as his choice for Secretary of State, Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security, Avril Haines as Director of Intelligence, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Jake Sullivan as National Security Advisor and John Kerry as special presidential envoy for climate.
Blinken, Mayorkas, Haines and Thomas-Greenfield will require Senate confirmation, but Sullivan and Kerry will not.
The president-elect and his transition team have forged ahead despite obstacles posed by the Trump administration.
Trump has refused to acknowledge the outcome of the election, which Biden decisively won.
And he has repeated false claims about electoral manipulation and widespread electoral fraud.
But after weeks of being projected as the winner of the election, Biden's team reported Tuesday that the General Services Administration informed Biden that the Trump administration is ready to begin the formal transition process.
CNN's Greg Krieg contributed to this report.
Bernie SandersElizabeth WarrenJoe Biden
