On Tuesday, president-elect Joe Biden formally introduced his picks to head up several key positions in his presidential administration from his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.
During his remarks, Biden confirmed reporting on his choices to fill six key roles in his upcoming administration.
Watch the remarks in the video below:
Biden's future nominees include:
- Anthony Blinken, former deputy national security adviser, for Secretary of State
- Alejandro Mayorkas, former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, to lead the same agency
- Avril Haines, former Obama Principal Deputy National Security Advisor, for Director of National Intelligence
- Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a longtime member of U.S. Foreign Service, to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
- Jake Sullivan, Biden campaign policy adviser, as National Security Adviser
- John Kerry, former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee, to be Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.
Reports have also surfaced in recent days that Biden intends to nominate former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen as the Secretary of the Treasury, though he did not make such an announcement on Tuesday.
Biden's selections represent a return to a reliance on career bureaucrats and longtime Washington policy advisers for top executive branch positions. Throughout his term, President Donald Trump has filled top posts in his administration with candidates from the private sector.
Biden's press conference will take place less than a day after the General Services Administration ascertained him as the winner of the 2020 election. The move grants Biden access to key information, like the daily presidential brief, and funds that can be used to begin hiring key positions.
Cabinet-level positions require Senate confirmation, meaning that depending on the outcome of two runoff races in Georgia in January, Biden may face challenges in filling top positions. Democrats will need to win both Senate races to reach 50 seats in the Senate, and would then control the chamber as Vice President Kamala Harris would hold the tie-breaking vote.
