Biden, Harris introduce key members of economic and jobs teams
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris introduced their nominees to lead the Commerce and Labor departments, as well as the Small Business Administration -- all posts that will be critical to implementing his economic agenda once he takes office later this month.
Biden opened by touting the historic firsts of his Cabinet.
"This will be the first Cabinet ever that is evenly composed of as many women as men," Biden began. "This will be the first Cabinet ever with a majority of people of color occupying this Cabinet. And it has more than a dozen history-making appointments, including the first woman secretary of treasury, first African American defense secretary, the first openly gay Cabinet member, and the first Native American Cabinet secretary."
Biden is nominating Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo for secretary of commerce. Raimondo, who was elected as the state's first female governor in 2014, was under consideration to be Biden's running mate and was a potential choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
For secretary of labor, Biden is nominating Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Walsh, who has led Boston since 2014, would be the first union member to serve in the post in almost half a century if confirmed by the Senate.
Biden also introduced Isabel Guzman as his pick to serve as small business administrator. She currently serves as the director of California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate and is a key leader in the state’s COVID-19 economic recovery.
Finally, Biden is nominating Don Graves, an executive at KeyBank, as his nominee for deputy secretary of commerce.
All the positions introduced Friday, except deputy commerce secretary, are Cabinet level.