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Appointments and Nominations

Biden announced his appointees for top economic roles on Monday, including the secretary of the Treasury and the Cabinet-rank positions of director of the Office of Management and Budget and chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Janet Yellen, secretary of the Treasury

Janet Yellen was the 15th chair of the Federal Reserve, under the Obama administration, and a former chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Clinton administration. Outside of public service, Yellen was a faculty member at the University of California at Berkeley for four decades. She has been confirmed by the Senate four times. If confirmed, she will be the first woman to hold this position.

Neera Tanden, director of the Office of Management and Budget

Neera Tanden is the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress. She has worked in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, including as a senior adviser for health reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If confirmed, she will be the first woman to hold this position.

Cecilia Rouse, chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers

Cecilia Rouse is the dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. She previously served on the Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama administration and the National Economic Council during the Clinton administration.

The Biden Transition also announced appointees for the following three roles:

• Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of the Treasury
• Jared Bernstein, member of the Council of Economic Advisers
• Heather Boushey, member of the Council of Economic Advisers

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News

• Biden announced on Monday that Delaware State University President Tony Allen is leading the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event is unlikely to have a large gathering on the National Mall or a parade through D.C.

• Biden is considering Mustafa Santiago Ali, Cecilia Martinez, and Brenda Mallory to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

• Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are calling on Biden to select a Black secretary of defense. Politico reported, “While [Michèle] Flournoy is still the frontrunner, the Biden team, which has promised to be the most diverse U.S. administration in history, is concerned about the optics of the top four Cabinet officials — State, Defense, Treasury and Justice — being white, said one transition official.”

• CNN reported that Tanden could face difficulty being confirmed. Several Republican senators, including John Cornyn (Texas), Tom Cotton (Ark.), and Lindsey Graham (S.C.), either questioned her record or said she was unfit for the position.

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Transition in Context

 

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What We’re Reading

• Forbes: What Biden’s Appointments To Economic Team Mean For Business Leaders
• The New York Times: Biden Faces a Balancing Act in Choosing Top Aides With Business Ties
• Politico: The quiet frontrunner: How Biden landed on Yellen for Treasury secretary