Joe Biden's Cabinet
A presidential Cabinet is a group of senior federal officials who advise the president on the issues and activities of their respective agencies. The number of officials in a Cabinet can vary across presidential administrations. There are 26 officials in Joe Biden's Cabinet.
The Cabinet tradition is rooted in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which states that the president "may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices."[1]
While not explicitly identified in the Constitution, the Cabinet secretaries are the 15 agency heads who are in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also part of the Cabinet.
The following offices are also Cabinet-rank positions in the Biden administration:[2]
- White House chief of staff
- Ambassador to the United Nations
- Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- U.S. trade representative
- Director of National Intelligence
- Administrator of the Small Business Administration
- Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
- Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
- Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
All but two of these Cabinet positions—vice president and White House chief of staff—require Senate confirmation.
There is currently one vacancy among the 26 positions in President Joe Biden's (D) Cabinet. Former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh resigned on March 11, 2023. Biden's nominee for the position, Julie Su, is the acting secretary.[3]
Click here to read more about each member.
President Donald Trump (R) did not include the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, ambassador to the United Nations, or director of Office of Science and Technology Policy in his final Cabinet.[4]
President Barack Obama (D) established a similar Cabinet to Biden's but did not include the directors of National Intelligence, Central Intelligence, or Office of Science and Technology Policy.[5]
This page includes the following information:
- Cabinet and Cabinet-level appointees
- Confirmation process overview
- Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations
- Historical comparison of Cabinet announcements
- Potential Cabinet and Cabinet-level appointees
Cabinet and Cabinet-level appointees
The following individuals are members of Biden's Cabinet. They have either been confirmed by the U.S. Senate or hold a position that does not require Senate confirmation.
Kamala Harris Vice President |
Tony Blinken Secretary of State |
Lloyd Austin Secretary of Defense |
Janet Yellen Secretary of the Treasury |
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Merrick Garland Attorney General |
Gina Raimondo Secretary of Commerce |
Pete Buttigieg Secretary of Transportation |
Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary of Homeland Security |
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Jennifer Granholm Secretary of Energy |
Miguel Cardona Secretary of Education |
Tom Vilsack Secretary of Agriculture |
Debra Haaland Secretary of the Interior |
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Xavier Becerra Secretary of Health and Human Services |
Julie Su Acting Secretary of Labor |
Denis McDonough Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
Marcia Fudge Secretary of Housing and Urban Development |
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Avril Haines Director of National Intelligence |
Linda Thomas-Greenfield U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations |
Katherine Tai U.S. Trade Representative |
Isabel Guzman Administrator of the Small Business Administration |
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Cecilia Rouse Council of Economic Advisers Chair |
Michael Regan Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency |
Shalanda Young Director of the Office of Management and Budget |
Arati Prabhakar Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy |
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William J. Burns Director of the Central Intelligence Agency |
Jeff Zients White House Chief of Staff |
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Confirmation process
The following table provides an overview of the status, confirmation hearings, and committee and Senate votes for each of Biden's Cabinet and Cabinet-rank nominees.[6]
Overview of confirmation process for Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees | |||||||
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Nominee | Position | Announced | Senate committee | Confirmation hearing | Committee vote | Senate vote | Status |
Tony Blinken | Secretary of State | November 23, 2020 | Foreign Relations | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (15-3) | 78-22 | Confirmed on January 26, 2021 |
Janet Yellen | Secretary of the Treasury | November 30, 2020 | Finance | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (26-0) | 84-15 | Confirmed on January 25, 2021 |
Lloyd Austin | Secretary of Defense | December 8, 2020 | Armed Services | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 93-2 | Confirmed on January 22, 2021 |
Merrick Garland | Attorney General | January 7, 2021 | Judiciary | February 22-23, 2021 | Favorable (15-7) | 70-30 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021 |
Debra Haaland | Secretary of the Interior | December 17, 2020 | Energy and Natural Resources | February 23-24, 2021 | Favorable (11-9) | 51-40 | Confirmed on March 15, 2021 |
Tom Vilsack | Secretary of Agriculture | December 10, 2020 | Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | February 2, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 92-7 | Confirmed on February 23, 2021 |
Gina Raimondo | Secretary of Commerce | January 7, 2021 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 26, 2021 | Favorable (21-3) | 84-15 | Confirmed on March 2, 2021 |
Marty Walsh | Secretary of Labor | January 7, 2021 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 4, 2021 | Favorable (18-4) | 68-29 | Confirmed on March 22, 2021 |
Julie Su | Secretary of Labor | February 28, 2023 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | April 20, 2023 | Favorable (11-10) | TBD | TBD |
Xavier Becerra | Secretary of Health and Human Services | December 7, 2020 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions / Finance |
February 23, 2021 / February 24, 2021 | No recommendation (14-14) | 50-49 | Confirmed on March 18, 2021 |
Marcia Fudge | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | December 10, 2020 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | January 28, 2021 | Favorable (17-7) | 66-34 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021 |
Pete Buttigieg | Secretary of Transportation | December 15, 2020 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | January 21, 2021 | Favorable (21-3) | 86-13 | Confirmed on February 2, 2021 |
Jennifer Granholm | Secretary of Energy | December 17, 2020 | Energy and Natural Resources | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (13-4) | 64-35 | Confirmed on February 25, 2021 |
Miguel Cardona | Secretary of Education | December 22, 2020 | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (17-5) | 64-33 | Confirmed on March 1, 2021 |
Denis McDonough | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | December 10, 2020 | Veterans' Affairs | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (Unanimous) | 87-7 | Confirmed on February 8, 2021 |
Alejandro Mayorkas | Secretary of Homeland Security | November 23, 2020 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs | January 19, 2021 | Favorable (7-4) | 56-43 | Confirmed on February 2, 2021 |
Katherine Tai | U.S. Trade Representative | December 10, 2020 | Finance | February 25, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | 98-0 | Confirmed on March 17, 2021 |
Avril Haines | Director of National Intelligence | November 23, 2020 | Intelligence (Select) | January 19, 2021 | N/A[7] | 84-10 | Confirmed on January 20, 2021 |
Linda Thomas-Greenfield | U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | November 23, 2020 | Foreign Relations | January 27, 2021 | Favorable (18-4) | 78-20 | Confirmed on February 23, 2021 |
Cecilia Rouse | Chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers | November 30, 2020 | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | January 28, 2021 | Favorable (24-0) | 95-4 | Confirmed on March 2, 2021 |
Neera Tanden | Director of the Office of Management and Budget | November 30, 2020 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget | February 9, 2021 / February 10, 2021 | N/A | N/A | Withdrawn on March 2, 2021 |
Shalanda Young | Director of the Office of Management and Budget | November 24, 2021 | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs / Budget | February 1, 2022 / February 1, 2022 | Favorable (7-6) / Favorable (15-6) | 61-36 | Confirmed on March 15, 2022 |
Michael Regan | Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | December 17, 2020 | Environment and Public Works | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (14-6) | 66-34 | Confirmed on March 10, 2021 |
Isabel Guzman | Administrator of the Small Business Administration | January 7, 2021 | Small Business and Entrepreneurship | February 3, 2021 | Favorable (15-5) | 81-17 | Confirmed on March 16, 2021 |
Eric Lander | Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | January 16, 2021 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | April 29, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | Voice Vote | Confirmed on May 28, 2021 |
Arati Prabhakar | Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy | June 21, 2022 | Commerce, Science, and Transportation | July 20, 2022 | Favorable (15-13) | 56-40 | Confirmed on September 22, 2022 |
William J. Burns[8] | Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | January 11, 2021 | Intelligence | February 24, 2021 | Favorable (Voice Vote) | Voice Vote | Confirmed on March 18, 2021 |
Former Cabinet members
Marty Walsh (2021-2023)
Marty Walsh was the secretary of labor. On March 11, 2023, Walsh resigned as U.S. Secretary of Labor.[9] The Daily Faceoff first reported on February 7 that Walsh would resign from his position as secretary of labor in the Biden administration to work as the executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association. The outlet said the resignation would take effect sometime after Biden's February 7 state of the union address.[10] On February 16, Walsh officially announced he intended to resign in mid-March to begin working as the executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association.[11]
The following day, President Joe Biden (D) said in a statement, "[Walsh's] record at the Department of Labor is a testament to the power of putting a card-carrying union member in charge of fighting for American workers. Marty has gone to bat for working families every day, and with his help, this administration has helped workers recover from a historic economic downturn and launch a new era of worker power."[12]
Biden nominated Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su to replace Walsh.[13]
Ron Klain (2021-2023)
Ron Klain was the White House chief of staff. Biden named Klain his White House chief of staff and assistant to the president on November 11, 2020. "Ron has been invaluable to me over the many years that we have worked together, including as we rescued the American economy from one of the worst downturns in our history in 2009 and later overcame a daunting public health emergency in 2014," Biden said in a statement.[14]
Klain submitted a resignation letter to Biden on January 27, 2023. In the letter, he said, "The halfway point of your first term - with two successful years behind us, and key decisions on the next two years ahead — is the right time for this team to have fresh leadership. I have served longer than eight of the last nine Chiefs of Staff, and have given this job my all; now it is time for someone else to take it on."[15] Biden announced he had selected Jeff Zients to replace Klain the same day.[15] Klain's final day at the White House took place on February 7, with Zients officially beginning as chief of staff on February 8, 2023.[16]
Eric Lander (2021-2022)
Eric Lander was the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. President Joe Biden (D) announced that Lander, a geneticist, molecular biologist, and mathematician, was his nominee for the position on January 16, 2021. Biden also elevated the position have Cabinet-rank status.[14] The Senate confirmed Lander by voice vote on May 28, 2021.[17]
On February 7, 2022, Lander submitted a letter of resignation to President Joe Biden (D).[18] In the letter, Lander said: "I have sought to push myself and my colleagues to reach our shared goals — including at times challenging and criticizing. But it is clear that things I said, and the way I said them, crossed the line at times into being disrespectful and demeaning, to both men and women."[19] His resignation was set to be effective no later than February 18.[18] To read more, click here.
Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations
Comparison to Trump administration
The following chart compares how many days it took after the inaugurations in 2017 and 2021 for the Cabinet secretaries of Presidents Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D), respectively, to be confirmed. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.
Comparison to Obama administration
The following chart compares how many days it took after the inaugurations in 2009 and 2021 for the Cabinet secretaries of Presidents Barack Obama (D) and Joe Biden (D), respectively, to be confirmed. This chart includes the main 15 Cabinet positions.
Historical comparison of Cabinet announcements
The following chart shows how long it took the projected winner of three recent presidential elections—Barack Obama (D) in 2008, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020—to begin to announce their nominees for Cabinet and Cabinet-rank positions.
- White House chief of staff was the first position to be announced by all three with Obama taking the shortest time (2 days after the election) and Biden the longest (8 days after the election).
- With the exception of the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, which was not Cabinet-rank in Trump's administration, Trump had named all of his nominees 72 days out.
- Obama took 45 days to do the same. (The director of national intelligence was not a Cabinet-rank position in his administration.)
Confirmation hearing process for Cabinet nominees
- See also: Appointment confirmation process
After the president submits a written nomination to the U.S. Senate, the nomination is passed to the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the appointed position. Some positions require a joint hearing of two or more committees. Committee hearings allow a close examination of the nominee, looking for partisanship and views on public policy. They can also summon supporters and opponents to testify. Committees are permitted to conduct their own investigations into the nominees.[20]
The following table outlines the jurisdiction of the Senate committees in terms of the presidential appointment confirmation process. The left column indicates the Senate committee, and the right indicates the federal departments and administrations over which the committee has jurisdiction.[20]
Click here to learn more about the appointment confirmation process.
Jurisdiction of Senate committees in presidential appointment confirmation process | |
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Committee | Jurisdiction[21] |
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | |
Armed Services | |
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs |
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Budget |
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Commerce, Science, and Transportation |
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Energy and Natural Resources | |
Environment and Public Works |
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Finance |
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Foreign Relations |
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Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions |
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Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs |
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Judiciary |
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Rules and Administration |
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Small Business and Entrepreneurship |
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Veterans' Affairs |
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Intelligence (Select) |
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Potential Cabinet and Cabinet-level appointees
The following table shows potential appointees to Cabinet and Cabinet-level positions based on reports from several outlets, including Politico and The Washington Post.[22][23][24][25][26] They are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Joe Biden's Cabinet | |
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Photo | Potential appointees |
Secretary of State |
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Secretary of the Treasury |
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Secretary of Defense |
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Attorney General |
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Secretary of Agriculture |
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Secretary of Commerce |
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Secretary of Labor |
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Secretary of Health and Human Services |
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Secretary of Housing and Urban Development |
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Secretary of Education |
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Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
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Secretary of Homeland Security |
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Director of the Office of Management & Budget |
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U.S. Trade Representative |
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U.S. Representative to the United Nations |
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Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers |
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Administrator of the Small Business Administration |
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See also
- Joe Biden presidential transition
- Presidential election, 2020
- Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk: Presidential election results subject to lawsuits and recounts
- Ballotpedia's Daily Transition Tracker
Footnotes
- ↑ Constitution Center, "Presidential Advisors," accessed November 18, 2020
- ↑ White House, "The Cabinet," accessed February 1, 2021
- ↑ JD Supra, "OFCCP Week In Review: March 2023 #2," March 13, 2023
- ↑ White House, "The Cabinet," accessed November 18, 2020
- ↑ Obama White House, "The Cabinet," accessed December 15, 2020
- ↑ Politico reported that the director of the Central Intelligence Agency would not be part of the Cabinet in Biden's administration. For this reason, the confirmation process for William J. Burns is not included in this table.
- ↑ PBS, "Senate confirms Avril Haines as director of national intelligence," January 20, 2021
- ↑ At the time of Burns' confirmation, director of the Central Intelligence Agency was not a Cabinet-level position in the Biden administration. Biden elevated the position to Cabinet-level on July 21, 2023.
- ↑ JD Supra, "OFCCP Week In Review: March 2023 #2," March 13, 2023
- ↑ Daily Faceoff, "Sources: Marty Walsh will be installed as next Executive Director of NHL Players’ Association," February 7, 2023
- ↑ NHLPA, "NHLPA EXECUTIVE BOARD APPOINTS MARTIN J. WALSH AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR," February 16, 2023
- ↑ White House, "Statement from President Joe Biden on Marty Walsh," February 17, 2023
- ↑ Politico, "Biden to tap Su as next Labor secretary," February 28, 2023
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Biden-Harris Transition (via Archive.org), "Remarks Announcing Key Science Advisors as Prepared for Delivery by President-elect Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware," January 16, 2021
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Associated Press, "Biden picks Zients as his next White House chief of staff," January 27, 2023
- ↑ Twitter, "White House on February 8, 2023," accessed February 8, 2023
- ↑ Politico, "Biden’s top scientist quickly confirmed by Senate," May 28, 2021
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Wall Street Journal, "Biden’s Science Adviser Eric Lander Quits Over Behavior Toward Staff," February 7, 2022
- ↑ NPR, "Top White House science adviser announces resignation after reports of bullying," February 7, 2022
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Congressional Research Service, "Senate Confirmation Process: An Overview," accessed July 24, 2013
- ↑ OpenCongress, "U.S. Senate Confirmation Process," accessed January 17, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Meet the contenders for Biden’s Cabinet," November 7, 2020
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Who Joe Biden is picking to fill his White House and Cabinet," November 19, 2020
- ↑ Axios, "The economic advisers vying for gigs in Joe Biden's White House," November 15, 2020
- ↑ The Hill, "Favorites emerge as Latino leaders press Biden to appoint 5 Hispanics to Cabinet," November 18, 2020
- ↑ NPR, "Veteran Democratic Aide With Ties To Congressional Black Caucus In Mix For OMB Chief," November 17, 2020
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