"That's what I asked Kamala," Biden said. "I asked Kamala to be the last voice in the room. To always tell me the truth." According to the BBC, he appears to be keeping his word. "Biden has said 'there's not a single decision I've made yet' about his administration that he hasn't consulted with Ms. Harris on first. She has also interviewed each of Biden's potential cabinet nominees."
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: Deputy Director of the Office of Management Shalanda Young
Many in Congress, on both sides of the aisle, have expressed support for making Young the permanent director, including the Congressional Black Caucus, the Democratic Women's Caucus, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and even Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who told her during her confirmation hearing that she would "get my support, maybe for both jobs, who knows."
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: Small Business Administrator Isabel Guzman
On March 16, the Senate confirmed Isabella Casillas Guzman, President Biden's pick to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA), an agency that has seen its profile grow enormously in response to the pandemic. "Now more than ever, our small businesses need us," Guzman said.
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai
When President Biden announced Katherine Tai, a trade lawyer with a history of taking on China, as his pick for the country's top trade representative, he said, "She understands that we need...to be considerably more strategic than we've been in how we trade. And that makes us all stronger."
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo
Gina Raimondo was sworn in on March 3 as the nation's new Commerce Secretary by Vice President Kamala Harris after a bipartisan vote of 84-15 in the Senate.
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Cecilia Rouse
On March 2, the Senate confirmed Cecilia Rouse to be the chair of President Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers. The vote was an overwhelming 95 to 4.
When Biden announced her as his nominee, he noted that she is “one of the most distinguished economists in the country, an expert on labor economics, race, poverty and education.”
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm
Former Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm is the nation's new Secretary of Energy. The Senate approved her nomination on Feb. 25 by a vote of 64-35, with all Democrats and 14 Republican senators voting yes.
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield
When President Biden announced Linda Thomas-Greenfield as his pick for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, he lauded her as a "seasoned and distinguished diplomat with 35 years in the foreign service who never forgot where she came from growing up in segregated Louisiana."
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge
Globally, there are currently 22 gender-balanced cabinets, 14 of which have at least 50% women ministers.* If Biden's nominees are approved, the United States will finally join this group, with 12 of the U.S.'s 23 Cabinet-level positions being held by women. In this Table for 12 series, I'm focusing on the 12 women and women of color in Biden's cabinet, the most ever. This week: Marcia Fudge.
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland
If her nomination is confirmed, Deb Haaland will become the nation's most powerful Native American leader in our 243-year history. Haaland's meteoric rise in Washington started at the local level in New Mexico, first as a voting rights activist for nearly a decade.
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines became the first of President Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees to be approved by the Senate on his very first day in office. Her path to the top position in the intelligence community is an interesting one.
Read MoreTable for 12, Please: Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen
America could soon see its most diverse cabinet ever. Altogether, Biden has announced 12 women in his cabinet, the most ever. To celebrate the historic number of women and women of color in Biden's cabinet, I'm kicking off a new series that I'm calling "Table for 12." This Week: Janet Yellen
Read More
