US President-Elect Joe Biden has continued to nominate members on his team, as he gets closer to the ed of the year. On Monday , December 7, 2020, he announced the nomination of Defence, Health Care, and COVID-19 advisory team candidates. The new nominations continue, if nominees are confirmed, to break racial and gender barriers as promised by Joe Biden during the campaign.
In the new nominations, one of the key candidates is Dr. Anthony Fauci, a familiar figure who will remain Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is adding to his title Chief Medical Adviser on COVID-19. Another nominee who will be at the top of the dicussions is Gen. Lloyd Austin, a retired general, to Head the Defense Department. If confirmed, Gen Lloyd Austin will be the first Black to be Secretary of Defense.
As expected and projected by AroniSmart team, women and minorities are being highly represented and will play a major role in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' administration (see AfroAmerica Network: US 2020 Elections: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Prepare for Transition) and ( AroniSmart: US 2020 Elections: Top Candidates For Joe Biden's Government). Below are the new nominees:
- Secretary of Defense: Retired Gen Lloyd Austin. A waiver from a law requiring a secretary to wait seven years from active duty service to take the top civilian post of leading the Pentagon, will be needed since Gen LLoyd Austin retired from the US in 2016. AroniSmart had projected that Former undersecretary of Defense in the Obama administration, Michele Flournoy, was considered the favorite for the job, with the chance of being first female Secretary of Defense. Other names put forward were Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island. It appears that some Democrats and Reublican senators are opposed to the waiver but are willing to give a chance to Gen Lloyd Austin to testify first before making their decision.
- Joe Biden's comment: "I chose Lloyd Austin as my nominee for secretary of defense because I know how he reacts under pressure, and I know that he will do whatever it takes to defend the American people,”
- Joe Biden's comment: "I chose Lloyd Austin as my nominee for secretary of defense because I know how he reacts under pressure, and I know that he will do whatever it takes to defend the American people,”
- Secretary of Health and Human Services: Xavier Becerra. AroniSmart had projected that Xavier Becerra could be nomiated for Attorney General position.
- Joe Biden's comment: "The Attorney General of California, long-time champion of expanding access to health care, and former member of Congress who helped drive passage of the Affordable Care Act, Becerra led the defense of the law in the Supreme Court last month. If confirmed, Becerra will be the first Latino to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. I'm honored to have his leadership and vision at the core of our team."
- Surgeon General of the United States: Dr. Vivek Murthy. AroniSmart had projected that Dr. Vivek Murthy could be nominated to head Health and Human Services
- Joe Biden's comment: " A distinguished physician, research scientist, and former Vice Admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the same capacity, holding the post as 'America's Doctor' between 2014 and 2017. A trusted national voice on health issues and one of my long-time advisors, he currently serves as co-chair of my COVID-19 transition Advisory Board. I'm excited to welcome Dr. Murthy back to this position."
- Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
- Joe Biden's comment: " A leading expert on virus testing, prevention, and treatment, Dr. Walensky has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response in Massachusetts, serving as Chief of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. I'm proud to have her on our team.
- COVID-19 Equity Task Force Chair: Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith.
- Joe Biden's comment: " One of the country's foremost experts on health care disparities and an Associate Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Management at the Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Nunez-Smith is the founding director of Yale's Equity Research and Innovation Center and co-chair of my COVID-19 Transition Advisory Board. Dr. Nunez-Smith will advise on a whole-of-government effort to reduce COVID-19 disparities in response, care, and treatment, including racial and ethnic disparities. There is no one more qualified than Dr. Nunez-Smith to take on this important task.
- Chief Medical Adviser on COVID-19 to the President and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: Dr. Anthony Fauci.
- Joe Biden's comment: " Dr. Fauci has been of the most trusted figures in the country throughout the pandemic and for decades prior and will remain an essential voice both in informing the public about health risks and safety measures and in helping the scientific community, the Biden-Harris administration, and local officials overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Fauci has the experience needed to get things done.
- Jeff Zients as Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response and Counselor to the President.
- Joe Biden's comment: " Zients is an accomplished public servant widely known for his extraordinary track record of successfully managing large and complex initiatives. He previously earned broad acclaim for his leadership of the 2013 HealthCare.gov tech surge and his oversight of the 'Cash for Clunkers' fuel-efficiency program. Zients will advise my team on the implementation of the federal government's COVID response, including managing safe and equitable vaccine distribution, the pandemic supply chain, and coordination across federal agencies and state and local governments. I'm excited to tap him for this essential role."
The updated projections by AroniSmart Team for the key remaining positions remain unchanged:
- Housing and Urban Development:
- Stacey Yvonne Abrams, former Georgia House Representative;
- Karen Bass, Democratic Congresswoman from California and Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus;
- Alvin Brown, former Adviser to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
- Maurice Jones, former Deputy at the Housing and Urban Development;
- Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta, Georgia;
- Diance Yentel, Chair of National Low Income Housing Coalition.
- Attorney General:
- Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama;
- Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota;
- Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez;
- Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey,
- Former deputy attorney general in the Obama administration, Sally Yates;
- Agriculture:
- Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota senator who served on the Agriculture Committee;
- Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
- Veterans Affairs Department:
- Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana;
- Robert A. McDonald, former veterans affairs secretary during the Obama administration.
- Education Department:
- Lily Eskelsen García, former president of the National Education Association;
- Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers
- Energy Department:
- Washington Governor Jay Inslee;
- Former Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall;
- Chief Executive of the Nuclear Threat Initiative Ernest Moniz.
- Labor Department:
- Democratic Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders;
- Seth Harris, former deputy labor secretary;
- Michigan Democratic congressman Andy Levein;
- Julie Su, secretary of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
- Interior Secretary:
- Michelle Lujan Grisham, the governor of New Mexico and a former member of Congress.
- Central Intelligence Agency:
- Tom Donilon, National Security Adviser under President Barack Obama;
- Mike Morell, former Foreign Service Officer;
- Jeh Johnson, former secretary of Homeland Security
- Susan Gordon, former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration;
- Lisa Monaco, top adviser on Homeland Security to President Obama;
@AfroAmerica Network, 2020
