On the 20th of January, 2021, the swearing-in of Joseph. R. Biden took place upon Capitol Hill. The location saw turmoil and riots taking place just two weeks ago, fuelled by the flames of President Biden’s predecessor Trump. Upon taking the oath of office, President Biden began working on undoing many of the Trump Administration’s work- among those included re-joining the Paris Accord and WHO, alongside removing the notorious “Muslim Ban” and pausing all work on the border wall.
America may be divided as ever, but President Biden’s speech showed hope and optimism for a country going through severe political division and battling an ever rampant pandemic that has affected the lives of millions of Americans. Kamala Harris was also sworn in as the first female, bi-racial Vice President of America, making history.
And that’s not all the history that this incoming Biden administration has made. To help him kick start the ‘Great American Comeback’ Joe Biden has assembled a team of highly qualified and experienced professionals to lead 15 departments that constitutes the cabinet of the President.
This group of people contains people who have been with Joe Biden for a long time, some who were his former rivals in the Presidential race, and some will make history by being ‘the first’ to lead their respective cabinet departments. Apart from these 15 posts, there are additional nine posts that need Senate confirmation.
Joe Biden has tapped Retired General Lloyd Austin to lead the Department of Defense. Austin will be the first black person to lead the armed forces in US history. Next, Janet Yellen is Biden’s pick to take over at the Department of Treasury. Yellen will be the first woman to be the Treasury Secretary. A career diplomat and former Deputy Secretary of State Affairs Anthony Blinken will lead the department of State. This department looks over the foreign relations of USA. And at the Department of Justice, Joe Biden tapped Judge Merrick Garland. He was also President Obama's pick for US Supreme Court, but he didn’t receive a hearing on his nomination.
To tackle the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Joe Biden will have the help of Xavier Becerra, who he tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is tapped to be the next secretary of the Department of Energy. Governor of Rhode Island Gina Raimondo is Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Commerce. Tom Vilsack will head the Department of Agriculture, the same role he held in the Obama administration.
In his pledge to combat climate change hands-on, Joe Biden asked Michel Regan, Head of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, to be the next Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Regan will be the first black administrator of EPA. Biden also picked Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico to be the next secretary of Interior. If confirmed, Haaland will be the first Native American to be a cabinet secretary.
2020 Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg will be the first openly Gay cabinet secretary if confirmed by the Senate to lead the Transportation Department. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh will lead the department of Labor. While Ohio Representative Marcia Fudge has been asked to be the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Alejandro Mayorkas is Biden's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, making him the first immigrant to lead this department. Miguel Cardona will be the next Education secretary under the Biden administration. Dennis McDonough will lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Avril Haines will become the first female Director of National Intelligence. Katherine Tai is Biden’s choice to become U.S. trade representative, a role tasked with developing U.S. trade policy. And Isabel Guzman is Joe Biden's nominee for the role of Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Linda Thomas-Greenfield is tapped to become the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Indian-American in Biden Administration: There are more than 20 Indian-American to lead key government positions. First is the Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris. Neera Tanden will lead the office of the White House Office of Management and Budget. And Vivek Murthy will be the next Surgeon General of the United States. These three will be the highest-ranking Indian-American in the Biden Administration. Murthy was also the Surgeon General in the Obama Administration. Next up is, Vanita Gupta who will be the Associate Attorney General in garland’s Department of Justice. Uzra Zeya is tapped to become the undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights.
Vinay Reddy will be the head speechwriter for President Joe Biden. A top advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren, Bharat Ramamurti will pick to lead the Deputy Director of White House National Economic Council for financial reform and consumer protection. Mala Adiga will be the Policy Director to First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Sabrina Singh has been named the White House Deputy Press Secretary. These and many other Indian-American will take up a key positions in the Biden Administration.
While Joe Biden has assembled the most diverse cabinet in US history, it will be very interesting to see whether is able to push through his ambitious agenda in this tumultuous time for the world's most powerful nation.
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