President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled his national security and foreign policy team, and his administration is shaping up to be an extension of former President Barack Obama’s in the crucial policy arena.
Biden on Monday named Tony Blinken as his secretary of state nominee, along with Alejandro Mayorkas to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as his United Nations ambassador, and John Kerry as the first special presidential envoy for climate to sit on the National Security Council.
The former two-term vice president and 36-year Delaware senator also named Avril Haines as his director of national intelligence and Jake Sullivan as his national security adviser.
“We have no time to lose when it comes to our national security and foreign policy. I need a team ready on Day One to help me reclaim America’s seat at the head of the table, rally the world to meet the biggest challenges we face, and advance our security, prosperity, and values,” Biden said in a statement.
Blinken, Mayorkas, Thomas-Greenfield, and Haines still have to be confirmed by the Senate next year. Kerry and Sullivan don’t fall under the chamber’s advise and consent purview.
During his presidential campaign, Biden promised voters that he would assemble an administration that was diverse like the country. Mayorkas is the first Latino and immigrant nominee for the DHS post, and Haines could be the first woman to oversee the intelligence community.
Biden’s selections so far all have ties to Obama-era foreign posture. Kerry and Sullivan, for example, were pivotal to Iran nuclear deal negotiations.
Biden transition officials had foreshadowed announcements post-Thanksgiving. Truncating the timeline dovetails with aides applying public pressure on the General Services Administration to acknowledge Biden as the president-elect. Administrator Emily Murphy, a Trump appointee, has held up the transfer of power process as the president fights the election’s outcome in court, delaying Biden’s ability to conduct background checks on his choices.
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are expected to chalk up their picks during an event on Tuesday.
