Biden set to make first Cabinet picks
Transition proceeding despite encumbrances
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden’s first Cabinet picks are coming Tuesday, and planning is underway for a pandemic-modified inauguration in January as his team moves forward despite roadblocks from the Trump administration.
Ron Klain, Biden’s incoming chief of staff, offered no details Sunday about which department heads Biden would first announce. The Associated Press has reported that Biden could name his nominee for secretary of state or treasury secretary this week.
Biden has pledged to build the most diverse government in modern history. He is being watched to see whether he will make history by nominating the first woman to lead the Pentagon, the Treasury Department or the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the first African American to head the Defense Department, the Interior Department or the Treasury Department.
Biden said last week he had settled on his pick for treasury secretary.
Klain said the Trump administration’s refusal to clear the way for Biden’s team to have access to key information about agencies and federal dollars for the transition is taking its toll on planning.
“We’re not in a position to get background checks on Cabinet nominees.
And so there are definite impacts. Those impacts escalate every day,” Klain told ABC’S “This Week.”
Looking ahead to the Jan. 20 inauguration, Klain said it is “going to definitely have to be changed” because of the coronavirus pandemic and that the Biden team is consulting with Democratic leadership in the House and Senate over their plans.
“They’re going to try to have an inauguration that honors the importance and the symbolic meaning of the moment, but also does not result in the spread of the disease,” Klain said.
Inaugurations typically include a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, remarks by the president and vice president from the Capitol and numerous balls across Washington.