Get To Know Joe Biden's Cabinet

1. Joe Biden was a county councilman in New Castle from 1970 to 1972 before serving as a senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009. During this time, he served on the Judiciary Committee from 1981 to 1997, where he oversaw half a dozen Supreme court confirmations and passed landmark legislation like the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and the Violence Against Women Act. He was also active in foreign affairs, serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1997 to 2009, where he stood up to Apartheid, advocated for the SALT treaty, authored a joint resolution to invade Kosovo, and chaired the International Narcotics Control Caucus from 2007 to 2009. From 2009 to 2017, he served as vice president under Barack Obama. He oversaw the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, led the Middle Class Task Force, Task Force on Gun Violence, and Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault, secured passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, and eliminated waste from the 2009-2011 economic recovery while serving as a leading voice for LGBTQ rights and environmental protection. He previously ran for president in 1988 and 2008.

2. Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants, served as District Attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011 and Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017 before being elected as a senator from 2017 to 2021. She ran for president in 2020, and she is the first black, first South Asian, and first female vice president.

3. Anthony Blinken served as Democratic Staff Director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008 and Joe Biden's National Security Advisor from 2009 to 2013 while the former was vice president, later serving as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under Barack Obama. He has been nominated as secretary of state.

4. Janet Yellen would be the first female secretary of the treasury. She served in the Federal Reserve of San Francisco, California, and the United States as well as on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. She has also taught economics and published numerous articles, particularly on middle-class families.

5. Lloyd Austin would be the first black secretary of defense. A lifelong soldier, he headed American forces in Iraq before heading the Central Command under Barack Obama from 2013 to 2016.

6. Merrick Garland came to public attention after Senate Republicans blocked his Supreme Court nomination for nine months. He served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. from 1997 to 2021, and he has been nominated for attorney general.

7. Deb Haaland would be the first Native American secretary of the interior, the cabinet department tasked with Native American relations and wilderness protection. She chaired the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017 and has served as a representative from New Mexico since 2019, heading committees on natural resources.

8. Tom Vilsack, although born in Pennsylvania, made his name in Iowa. He served as mayor of Mount Pleasant from 1987 to 1992, member of the Iowa Senate from 1993 to 1999, governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007, and secretary of agriculture from 2009 to 2017. He will resume the role in 2021, although he has received criticism for his moderate stances and support of industry.

9. Gina Raimondo, nominee for secretary of commerce, is a venture capitalist who served as general treasurer of Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015 and has served as the first female governor of the state since then.

10. Marty Walsh, nominee for secretary of labor, is a union man who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1997 to 2014 and has been mayor of Boston since then.

11. Xavier Becerra, nominee for secretary of health and human services, was a member of the California Assembly from 1990 to 1992 and the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2017. He succeeded Kamala Harris as the California Attorney General from 2017 to 2021. If confirmed, he would head the coronavirus response. His wife is a physician.

12. Marcia Fudge, nominee for secretary of housing and urban development, was the mayor of Warrensville Heights from 2000 to 2008 and a member of the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2021. 

13. Pete Buttigieg, nominee for secretary of transportation, served as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2011 to 2019 and ran for president in 2020. In 2014, he was deployed to Iraq, and, in 2015, he came out as gay. If confirmed, he would be the first openly-gay cabinet-level official. He is a concert pianist who speaks seven languages and the son of a Maltese immigrant.

14. Jennifer Granholm, nominee for secretary of energy, was the first female governor of Michigan and has been an ardent supporter of renewable energy.

15. Miguel Cardona, nominee for secretary of education, became the youngest principal in Connecticut before serving as education commissioner. An advocate of bilingual education, he would be the first hispanic man to hold the position.

16. Denis McDonough, nominee for secretary of veterans affairs, served as chief of staff of the NSC from 2009 to 2010, deputy national security advisor from 2010 to 2013, and chief of staff from 2013 to 2017.

17. Alejandro Mayorkas, born in Cuba, served as the deputy secretary of homeland security from 2013 to 2016 after a long career as an attorney and immigration official. Tasked with heading immigration policy in the department of homeland security, he would be the first hispanic and first immigrant to hold the position.