| Dept Seal | Dept Name | Secretary | @Dept | My Thoughts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | State | Antony Blinken | @StateDept | I agree with his recent stance for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but I think it is at odds with his historical actions and views. He supported a whole lot of invasions and arms deals in his past positions. Certainly, I don’t have enough information on all of those situations to pass judgement so I will hold further comment until he acts on current issues. It is worth noting that his confirmation was highly bipartisan (78-22). |
 | Treasury | Janet Yellen | @USTreasury | Here is a woman who is likely over-qualified for the job (a good thing!). She is well liked on both sides of the political spectrum (84-15). She seems to be a hard-charger who will fight for the 99% and small businesses. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does with her new-found powers. |
 | Defense (DOD) | Lloyd Austin | @DeptofDefense | He certainly has the years in service and experience for the job. I also appreciate his public support for an all-inclusive military. As the prior commander of CENTCOM and vice chief of staff for the Army there is a public record available to illustrate how he handles critical situations. He, like Mattis, appears to me to be somewhat hawkish. As former Army, I fully support our men and women in uniform across the globe but I would like to see us, as a nation, dial it back a bit. His confirmation was about as close to unanimous as I think we will see at 93-2. |
 | Justice (DOJ) | Acting Attorney General: Monty Wilkinson | @TheJusticeDept | Nominated: Merrick Garland |
 | Interior (DOI) | Acting: Scott de la Vega | @Interior | Nominated: Debra Anne Haaland |
 | Agriculture (USDA) | Acting: Kevin Shea | @USDA | Nominated: Tom Vilsack |
 | Commerce | Acting Agency Head: Wynn Coggins | @commercegov | Nominated: Gina Raimondo |
 | Labor (DOL) | Acting: Al Stewart | @USDOL | Nominated: Marty Walsh |
 | Health & Human Services (HSS) | Acting: Norris Cochran | @hssgov | Nominated: Xavier Becerra |
 | Housing & Urban Development (HUD) | Acting: Matt Ammon | @hudgov | Nominated: Marcia Fudge |
 | Transportation (DOT) | Pete Buttigieg | @USDOT | ‘Mayor Pete’ was in my top three during the primaries. He worked in Naval Intelligence, served in Afghanistan and is a Rhodes scholar. I put the same amount of importance on the fact that he is the first openly gay and the youngest secretary of transportation (little to no importance). Yes, representation matters but I think his education and background are what will make him successful in this position; I don’t think his age or sexuality will affect things. Plus, he wants to implement high-speed rail in America, to which I say, about damn time!! |
 | Energy (DOE) | Acting: David Huizenga | @energy | Nominated: Jennifer Granholm |
 | Education | Acting: Mick Zais | @usedgov | Nominated: Dr. Miguel A. Cardona |
 | Veterans Affairs (VA) | Denis McDonough | @DeptVetAffairs | Another local boy (Stillwater, MN) and just s few years older than me. Confirmed 87-7. Previously was Obama chief of staff. He has no military service record but does seem well versed in how to navigate the DC red tape. I, like many, would have preferred someone with a service record but Biden seems to trust in him, and his opening remarks seem a good start. Time will tell how he does for our veterans. |
 | Homeland Security (DHS) | Alejandro Mayorkas | @dhsgov | One item of note here, the department has been headless for nearly two years. Senate Republicans definitely did not want this immigrant from Cuba in this position (confirmed 56-43). He has previously worked as the Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services and has also worked as the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. Further, he is an accomplished lawyer. I think he has the skillset for the job. It also tickles me that having him in this position irks the GOP majority. |
 | Executive Office (EOP) | White House Chief of Staff: Ron Klain | @WHCOS @whitehouse | I had an very hard time finding an article citing someone who doesn’t like or at minimum respect this man. (Of course, I don’t frequent faux news or their ilk.) Based on some light reading, he has nerves of steel and knows his way around Washington. He seems a tactical operator with decades of experience. Biden will do well with him catching bullets from the right. Time will tell what this auriga will whisper into the commander’s ear. |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Interior) | Acting Administrator: Jane Nishida | @EPA | Nominated: Michael Regan |
 | Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (USGLC) (EOP) | John Kerry | @ClimateEnvoy | First off, I 💚 this is now a cabinet level position, about damn time!! I voted for him in 2004 and generally think he’s an honorable man. His involvement with the Paris agreement on climate change and his lifetime of work with his wife make him a good match for this position. If you haven’t read “This Moment on Earth” you definitely need to add it to your TBR pile. Also check out ‘World War Zero‘ |
| Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) (EOP) | Director: Eric Lander | @WHOSTP | This position was previously just advisory, now elevated to a cabinet position by the Biden Administration — another ‘about damn time!’. 🧪 Bringing Science FACTS back to our government is HUGE!!! He was granted a MacArthur fellowship in 1987 (which seems like ancient history but getting the ‘Genius Grant’ is a pretty big deal). He is also actively involved in finding a cure for cancer. I think this is a win for the White House making smart decisions related to science. |
| Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (DHS) | Acting Administrator: Robert Fenton | @FEMA | Nominated: Deanne Criswell |
| U.S. Census Bureau (Commerce) | Acting Director: Dr. Ron Jarmin | @uscensusbureau | Senior Advisor: Meghan Maury (Source) |
| Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) (HSS) | Acting Surgeon General: Susan Ortega | @surgeon_general | Nominated: Dr. Vivek Murthy |
 | Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (HSS) | Director: Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH | @CDCgov | |
| Office of Management & Budget (OMB) (EOP) | Acting Director: Rob Fairweather | Nominated: Neera Tanden | |
| Office of the United States Trade Representative (EOP) | Acting U.S. Trade Representative (USTR): Maria Pagan | @USTradeRep | Nominated: Katherine Tai |
| National Security Council (NSC) (EOP) | Assistant (APNSA) : Jake Sullivan | He’s a Rhodes scholar, has a Master in Philosophy, a local boy (Minneapolis), likes to play devil’s advocate (and is smart enough to do it), is a work-a-holic in the best way, and believes a strong middle-class is key to national security. (Also a major player in the original Iran deal during the Obama years.) I basically love everything about this guy. Politico | |
| United States Mission to the United Nations (State) | Acting Chargé d’Affaires: Rich Mills | @USUN | Nominated: Linda Thomas-Greenfield |
| Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) (EOP) | Acting Chair: Tyler Goodspeed | Nominated: Cecilia Rouse Economic Report of the President | |
| Small Business Administration (SBA) (Commerce) | Acting Administrator: Tami Perriello | @sbagov | Nominated: Isabel Guzman |
 | National Intelligence (DNI) (DOD) | Director: Avril Haines (ODNI) | @odnigov | Another ‘first woman’ appointment (she was previously the first female deputy secretary of the CIA under Obama). She was confirmed 84-10, so there is high confidence from the Senate. I have some reservations, she basically wrote the US legal policy on assassination (via targeted drone killings) and made some questionable decisions regarding torture (imho) while working for the Obama administration. While I have been an Obama supporter since day one, the drone strikes were a point I disagreed on; the US policy on torture has always been a no-go for me. Sources say she is a fellow at the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School. I have a hard time reconciling her work on drone strikes and torture with her being an advocate for human rights. There is no doubt she is intelligent and capable — my verdict is out on whether she will meet my ethical standards. |
 | Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (DNI) | Acting Director: David Cohen | @CIA | Nominated: William Burns |
 | Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (DOJ) | Director: Christopher Wray | @FBI | |
 | National Security Agency (NSA) (DOD) | Director: General Paul M. Nakasone | @NSAgov |
- Wikipedia saves the day!
- C-Span Confirmation Hearings
- Confirmations @ Politico Extremely informative! Gives a little background for each nominee and how the Senate voted. If you scroll down you can clearly see the majority of No votes are coming from the tRump-Q-anon sector.
- Confirmation Tracker @CNN They have a bit more info for each person. I also like the average confirmation times comparison.
Just a little tally…
Women: 11
LGBTQ+: 2
PoC: 7
PHDs: …calculating…
Rhoades Scholars: 2 so far…
