WASHINGTON, D.C. – President-elect Joe Biden has announced more nominees and appointees for key national security, foreign policy and treasury positions.
Biden has chosen former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to serve as Secretary of the Treasury, The Associated Press and other outlets report. The 74-year-old would be the first woman to lead the Treasury Department.
Biden’s White House transition team announced Monday that former Secretary of State John Kerry will lead the incoming administration’s effort to combat climate change. His official title will be Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.
As for Director of National Intelligence, the transition team says Biden will nominate Avril Haines, a former Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama and Legal Advisor to the National Security Council.
The transition team also said Biden will nominate Alejandro Mayorkas for the Secretary of Homeland Security position. He previously served as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Obama-Biden administration. If confirmed, the transition team says Mayorkas would be the first immigrant and Latino to lead DHS.
America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is. I'm proud to partner with the President-elect, our allies, and the young leaders of the climate movement to take on this crisis as the President's Climate Envoy.
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) November 23, 2020
As for Director of National Intelligence, the transition team says Biden will nominate Avril Haines, a former Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama and Legal Advisor to the National Security Council.
When I was very young, the United States provided my family and me a place of refuge. Now, I have been nominated to be the DHS Secretary and oversee the protection of all Americans and those who flee persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.
— Alejandro Mayorkas (@AliMayorkas) November 23, 2020
The transition team also confirmed that Biden plans to nominate Antony Blinken to serve as Secretary of State in his administration. He served as Deputy Secretary of State during the Obama-Biden administration, the nation’s second highest ranking diplomat.
Additionally, Biden will appoint Linda Thomas-Greenfield to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She’ll return to public service after retiring from a 35-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service in 2017.
My mother taught me to lead with the power of kindness and compassion to make the world a better place. I’ve carried that lesson with me throughout my career in Foreign Service – and, if confirmed, will do the same as Ambassador to the United Nations.
— Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@LindaT_G) November 23, 2020
Lastly, the transition team named Jake Sullivan as a National Security Advisor. He currently serves as a senior policy advisor to Biden and formerly served as Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to then-Vice President Joe Biden in the Obama-Biden administration.
According to a press release obtained by ABC reporter Milly Nagle, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will formally announce their picks on Tuesday.
“President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have chosen experienced crisis-tested leaders who are ready to hit the ground running on day one,” the release says. “These officials will start working immediately to rebuild our institutions, renew and reimagine American leadership to keep Americans safe at home and abroad, and address the defining challenges of our time – from infectious disease, to terrorism, nuclear proliferation, cyber threats and climate change.”
