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Diverse and experienced leaders: this is what the Cabinet of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris looks like

2021-01-20T05:38:01.498Z


The president-elect has made up his Cabinet in a very varied way, with the aim that it reflects all the faces of the United States. We collect those selected and explain the importance of their ethnic and cultural diversity.


Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

have vowed to make history

with a government that not only reflects America's ethnic and cultural diversity, but is also a milestone for groups across the country that have not been represented in the White House in recent decades. 

Democrats have recognized that they won the presidency thanks to the mobilization of the vote of women and minorities and have ensured that they will add 

more leaders who break barriers

The Hispanic community of more than 60 million people mostly voted for Biden in the 2020 presidential election, although outgoing President Donald Trump managed to increase his support among Latinos.

Since November, the new Administration has been adding to its ranks nominees of different genders, sexual orientations, ages, races and ethnicities, from an immigrant leading the Department of Security to a woman in charge of the Treasury.

Former mayor Pete Buttigieg will also be one of the gay leaders of the incoming government, being in charge of the Transportation area. 

Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris garnered broad support from the Latino community in the 2020 presidential elections. AP

In particular, there are

dozens of women

who will hold key positions, both leadership and administrative, in communication, economics and international politics.

Although well-known figures are also expected:

several of those elected were already part of the Government of Barack Obama

(2009-2017).

All Cabinet nominations

require Senate confirmation

, which Democrats can get by gaining control of the chamber following the January 5 elections in Georgia.

Hearings for some key positions on the national security team began in the Upper House on Tuesday, on the eve of Biden's inauguration and with the nation's capital under strict military control.

This is a

chronological list of

Biden's

appointments to the Cabinet

to date, from first to last:

Ron Klain, Obama's Chief of Staff, is back

Ron Klain, 59, is a lawyer and political advisor.

He was Biden's chief of staff when he was vice president, during the Barack Obama administration.

Before, he also held the same position with Al Gore. 

Klain was in charge of coordinating all the efforts of the Obama Administration to contain the spread of Ebola and

 has harshly criticized Trump's management

and his measures against the coronavirus pandemic.

Ron Klain coordinated all efforts to contain Ebola during the Obama Administration AP

More than 30 years of experience in the White House and the Capitol endorse the trajectory of Klain, who has advised Democratic administrations and private companies with the management of their relations with the public power.

Alejandro Mayorkas, from political refugee to protector of immigrants

The Cuban-American will make history as the first Hispanic and first immigrant to head the Department of Homeland Security, a mega-department that is responsible for issues such as border security, immigration control, natural disaster management, and the fight against the terrorism.

Biden will nominate a Latino and an immigrant to lead the Department of Homeland Security

Nov. 24, 202002: 03

Mayorkas, 61,

emigrated with his family as a child from Cuba

, fleeing the island, and held two positions in the Obama Administration, as director of the Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, for its acronym in English) and as deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security.

The Department of Homeland Security has more than 240,000 employees, spread across 22 agencies, and an annual budget of nearly $ 50 billion.

Alejandro Mayorkas was born in Cuba in 1959. A year later he traveled to the United States with his parents as refugees.

MAyorkas is the first Hispanic nominated as director of the Department of Homeland Security.

Carolyn Kaster / AP

Antony Blinken, the new head of American diplomacy

Biden chose Antony Blinken, one of his longtime advisers, as Secretary of State.

Blinken, 58,

was undersecretary of state during the Bill Clinton Administration

(1993-2000) and Deputy National Security Advisor during the Obama

Administration

(2009-2017).

Biden has indicated that he will be tasked with repairing US alliances with various countries and multilateral organizations. 

The State Department has 69,000 employees, including civilians and career diplomats, and an annual budget of just over $ 41 billion.

President-elect Joe Biden listens to his candidate for Secretary of State Tony Blinken at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware on November 24, 2020.AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster

Janet Yellen, at the forefront of the fight against the economic crisis

Janet Yellen, former president of the powerful Federal Reserve (2014-2018), would take the reins of the Treasury Department.

Yellen knows the challenge ahead.

She herself has warned that 

the economic recession will be even more acute if urgent measures are not taken

to help low-income families deeply affected by the pandemic.

The 74-year-old economist will be tasked with pushing Biden's ambitious economic agenda, which includes an increase in public spending, financed in part by higher taxes for corporations and the wealthiest sectors.

Janet Yellen will be tasked with pushing Joe Biden's economic agenda

The Treasury Department, which collects taxes and regulates the banking sector, among other functions, has more than 84,000 employees and an annual budget of about $ 18 billion.

Xavier Becerra, the first Latino in charge of the Ministry of Health

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will take over the reins of the Health Department to lead one of Biden's top priorities: halting the advance of the COVID-19 pandemic and overseeing vaccination efforts across the country.

If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, 62, would become one of the highest-ranking Latinos in the Cabinet and the first in history to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

Exclusive Interview with Next Secretary of Health: "Biden Wants to Address Immediately" the Unequal Hit of COVID-19 to Latinos

Jan. 15, 202114: 36

Becerra was a California Democratic representative in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2019, and has led numerous lawsuits against Trump's policies, especially on health and immigration issues.

The Health Department has 80,000 employees spread across eight agencies, and an annual budget of nearly $ 95 billion.

One of the agencies, the Administration for Children and Families, handles shelters for unaccompanied undocumented children who are detained at the southern border of the United States.

Xavier Becerra will take the reins of the Department of Health to face the COVID-19AP pandemic

Lloyd J. Austin, a black American general, as Secretary of Defense

Lloyd J. Austin, a 67-year-old retired general, may make history as the first black American to head the Department of Defense, but his appointment has generated controversy.

It happens that since the Pentagon was created in 1947, it is prevented from being led by the military.

Biden Elects Retired General Lloyd Austin to the Post of Secretary of Defense

Dec. 8, 202000: 22

The law establishes that those who have not served in the Army in the last seven years can be in charge of Defense.

Congress would then have to pass a waiver for Austin, who retired in 2016 after a 41-year military career.

The Pentagon has more than

2,150 million members of the Armed Forces

and more than 732,000 civilian employees - spread over more than 160 countries - and an annual budget of 716,000 million dollars, or the equivalent of 3.1% of the Gross Domestic Product.

Denis McDonough, a Veteran Affairs nominee with no military experience

Biden chose Denis McDonough as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Although he has vast political experience, his appointment has drawn criticism from groups of war veterans precisely because

he has no military experience

, at a time when the agency requires major reforms.

Denis McDonough's appointment has drawn criticism because he has no military experience

The Department of Veterans Affairs has about 363,400 employees and an annual budget of $ 241 billion.

Tom Vilsack returns to the Department of Agriculture

Former Iowa Governor and former dairy farmer Tom Vilsack would take back the reins of the Department of Agriculture, as he did during the Obama Administration.

Although he

has the backing of leading producers

, his appointment has drawn criticism because in the past, Vilsack, 69, has supported policies that favored corporations, to the detriment of minority farmers and rural communities.

In addition, leaders of the black community preferred Democratic Representative Marcia Fudge for the position, as this would achieve more diversity in an agency that has traditionally been led by white men.

Tom Vilsack would take back the reins of the Department of Agriculture, as he did during the Obama Administration.

AP

The Department of Agriculture has about 100,000 employees and an annual budget of about $ 150 billion.

Marcia Fudge, the second black person in charge of Housing and Urban Development

Biden chose Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to head the Department of Housing.

He would be the second black person to hold the position.

Fudge, 68, preferred the position of Secretary of Agriculture, with the goal of focusing more resources on fighting food insecurity in the country.

But Biden said he chose it for the urban development area because they both

share the goal of eradicating homelessness

and promoting affordable housing and urban revitalization.

Marcia Fudge would be the second black person to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

The Housing Department has about 8,000 employees and an annual budget of nearly $ 48 billion.

Pete Buttigieg, one of the youngest Cabinet nominees

Pete Buttigieg, a longtime rival in the presidential race and a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, will lead the

Department of Transportation

because, Biden explained, he represents the new generation of leaders and will provide a “great perspective” for a more effective rebuilding of the economy.

Pete Buttigieg highlights Biden's life of public service and appreciates his support of the LGBTQ community

Aug. 21, 202003: 31

Buttigieg, 38, would be

one of the youngest members of a presidential Cabinet

in recent history if he wins Senate confirmation.

It was an emotional moment for Buttigieg, who recalled that when he was 17, the Senate rejected James Hormel as the US ambassador to Luxembourg, during the Clinton Administration (1993-2000), because he was gay.

Pete Buttigieg would be one of the youngest members of a presidential Cabinet in recent history.

AP

The Department of Transportation has nearly 55,000 employees at 11 agencies, and an annual budget of $ 89 billion.

Deb Haaland, the first Native American leader in the Secretary of the Interior

New Mexico Democratic Congresswoman Deb Haaland would be the first Native American leader to head the Department of the Interior, the agency that manages more than 450 million acres of public lands, 422 national parks, protected areas and other natural resources, and watches over the protection of more than 1,000 species in danger of extinction.

Haaland will be tasked with leading the fight against the

climate emergency

, promoting 'clean energy', and enhancing the Interior Department's relations with the country's 574 tribes, which for decades were marked by discord.

Deb Haaland, is the first Native American leader to head the Department of the Interior.

The agency has around 70,000 employees, distributed in 2,400 offices in the US, Puerto Rico and other territories, and has an annual budget of just over 12,000 million dollars.

Miguel Cardona, son of Puerto Ricans and former school teacher, in charge of Education

Miguel Cardona was a primary school teacher for decades.

At the age of 28, he took over as principal of a Connecticut school, being the youngest to hold that position in the state.

He was subsequently promoted to deputy supervisor in his district and in 2019 became the

Education Commissioner

, a position he currently holds.

Joe Biden nominates Latino Miguel Cardona for his future cabinet

Dec. 22, 202000: 27

Cardona, 45, grew up in a housing unit in Meriden, Connecticut and is the son of Puerto Ricans.

She grew up speaking Spanish so she had trouble learning English

when she started kindergarten.

During his career, he has focused on closing achievement gaps between black and white students.

In the midst of the pandemic, he will be challenged to advance Biden's commitment to safely reopen schools and prevent COVID-19 from exacerbating inequalities in the education system.

Miguel Cardona was nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to be AP Education Secretary

The Department of Education has 4,400 employees and an annual budget of $ 66.6 billion by 2021.

Merrick Garland, a veteran jurist, nominated as Attorney General

Biden has appointed Merrick Garland, 68, as Attorney General, a circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 1997.

Garland is a moderate veteran jurist and is seen as someone who could help restore the independence of the Justice Department, a Biden priority. 

Garland rose to fame in 2016

when then-President Barack Obama nominated him to fill the Supreme Court vacancy that opened after the sudden death of conservative jurist Antonin Scalia.

But Senate Republicans, who controlled the House at the time, refused.

Merrick Garland has been a circuit judge on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 1997. AP

Before becoming a judge, Garland

held senior positions in the Justice Department

.

The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 marked his professional life, as he was in charge of coordinating the department's response by initiating the investigation against those responsible and carrying out his prosecution.

The United States Department of Justice has about 116,000 employees and has an annual budget of $ 31.7 billion. 

A venture capital executive, in charge of business policy

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo will be in

charge of establishing the country's trade policy. 

Raimondo, 49, is in her second term as governor.

Previously, she served as state treasurer.

During his first year in office, he reformed the Rhode Island public employee pension system. 

For more than a decade, she worked as a venture capital executive and has served in public office in Rhode Island since 2011.

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo will be in charge of setting the country's trade policy.

The Commerce Department

comprises a variety of major government entities in the country

, including the Census Bureau and the International Trade Administration.

It has an annual budget of about $ 7.9 billion and about 46,600 employees.

Raimondo is a graduate of Harvard and Yale Law School.

Additionally, he received a Rhodes Scholarship.

Marty Walsh, from former union leader to Secretary of Labor

Boston Mayor and former union leader Marty Walsh was appointed by Biden as Secretary of Labor.

Before becoming mayor, he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, holding that position from 1997 to 2014, representing the Suffolk district.

Boston Mayor and former union leader Marty Walsh was appointed by Biden as Secretary of Labor.

AP

Walsh would take office at a critical time in the country where millions of people were unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic and will be in charge of the challenge of recovering the labor market.

[The economy lost 140,000 jobs last month, the latest report from the Trump presidency]

Biden assured that his economic team will

work "tirelessly" to give each person a "fair remuneration

for their work and an equal opportunity to get ahead."

The Department of Labor has an annual budget of $ 11.1 billion.  

A long list of women in charge 

There are

other appointments that

have Cabinet rank

, but are not agencies:

Cecilia Rouse, head of the Council of Economic Advisers;

Neera Tanden, head of the White House Office of Management and Personnel (OMB);

Avril Haines, as National Director of Intelligence;

Katherine Tai, Head of the Office of the Foreign Trade Representative (USTR), and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, as US Ambassador to the UN.

Thomas Greenfield, a career diplomat with 35 years of experience, was appointed to the position on November 23.

With information from the Biden Campaign, the White House Office of Personnel Management and federal agencies.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-01-20

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