Despite the Trump administration’s reported lack of cooperation towards a peaceful transition, president-elect Joe Biden is already in the process of assembling his Cabinet members. As speculations begin as to who would assume certain posts, some names have already been floated around.
Biden has previously pledged to assemble a diverse Cabinet in his administration and among the names that are widely speculated to be part of it are Susan Rice and Michelle Flournoy. Rice previously served as National Security Adviser in the Obama administration and eventually serving as a United Nations Ambassador and is among the picks to become Biden’s Secretary of State. Flournoy was previously a senior defense adviser in both the Clinton and Obama administrations and is among the names to take up the post of Defense Secretary.
Biden’s former Democratic presidential rival Pete Buttigieg may be picked as UN Ambassador. Federal Reserve governor Lael Brainard is also seen as a potential choice for Treasury Secretary. Former Alabama Senator Doug Jones and Obama administration-acting attorney general Sally Yates are also possible picks for Attorney General of the Justice Department.
The president-elect previously confirmed that he is already assembling his Cabinet, and noted that they will be faced with tough challenges immediately after being sworn into office in January. The incoming administration will be tackling the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic while also establishing an effective response all the while facing a possible Republican-controlled Senate as a challenge in itself.
With Biden’s defeat of Donald Trump in the elections, many are now urging him to act on the pledges he has made during the campaign. Activists have now called for Biden to not only take action on keeping the peace at the US-Mexico border but also do more than just return to the status quo in terms of stopping the militarization of communities at the said border. The president-elect has previously pledged to revoke many of the border policies implemented by the Trump administration, among them promising to stop construction of the wall.
However, it remains to be seen whether Biden would have policies that would step away from those of the Obama administration. “Stopping construction isn’t enough,” said ACLU National Security Project’s senior staff attorney Dror Ladin. “There has to be planning to dismantle particularly harmful sections of this wall in a responsible way and help heal the damage that has been done, both to communities and natural spaces.”