Biden administration: Here’s who has been named so far

• By Elena Moore and Audrey Carlsen/NPR

(Washington) — President-elect Joe Biden has assembled his inner circle of advisers and Cabinet officials ahead of Inauguration Day.

Now, he’s waiting on Congress to confirm his nominees — particularly those involved in key national security and economic positions.

So far, the Senate has scheduled hearings for five nominees: Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin for Defense Secretary, Janet Yellen for the Treasury, Alejandro Mayorkas for Homeland Security, and Antony Blinken for the State Department.

Haines’ hearing is scheduled for Friday; the other four hearings are all slated for Jan. 19, the day before Biden takes office. He plans to name a series of career officials as acting heads of agencies until the Senate confirms his picks.

Biden is running behind. President Trump had two Cabinet members confirmed by Inauguration Day in 2017, while former President Barack Obama had six.

In the meantime, Biden continues to fill out other positions for his team. He said he would nominate Samantha Power to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development. Power was a top official in the Obama administration, first on the National Security Council and later as ambassador to the United Nations.

NPR is providing information on the members of the Biden team as they are announced for the White House, national security, economic policy, additional Cabinet positions and a range of other posts.

White House

As Biden begins to act on some of his early promises, he has named close advisers and aides to work with him in the White House — people who will run operations and brief him on top matters of national security, the economy and other key issues. Most of these officials do not need U.S. Senate confirmation. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and soon-to-be first lady Jill Biden have also named their top aides.

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Economic policy

As the U.S. continues to fight through a recession brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Biden has made picks to lead his economic, financial and trade policy — many of whom will play crucial roles in determining further coronavirus relief aid. These positions must be confirmed by the Senate.

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National security

Biden will also nominate officials to lead the federal government’s domestic and international security efforts. These officials will oversee U.S. intelligence and defense as well as spearhead relations with world leaders and international coalitions. All of these officials must also be confirmed by the Senate.

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Additional members of Biden’s Cabinet

Biden will overhaul departments to remove Trump appointees and nominate officials to carry out his policy agenda. These officials require Senate confirmation.

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Other nominees

These officials will work on Biden’s push to roll back Trump administration policies on immigration and climate as well as help with the coronavirus response. Many of these officials for key agencies must also receive Senate confirmation.

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