WASHINGTON – United States president-elect Joe Biden yesterday unveiled his picks for commerce secretary, labour secretary and small business administrator to fill his incoming economics team.
The transition names Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and former Barack Obama official Isabel Guzman as nominees for the three positions, respectively.
“With two dozen cabinet nominees announced, president-elect Biden has put forward the most diverse cabinet in American history,” said the Biden team in a statement.
Biden already revealed choices for part of his economic team early last month, composed mostly of women, minorities and those who served under former president Obama.
Most notable is former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary.
“They share my belief that the middle class built this country, and that unions built the middle class,” said Biden of the group he has assembled, according to the statement.
The new officials’ priority will be “digging us out from the worst jobs crisis in nearly a century by supporting small businesses, dramatically increasing union density, and rebuilding the backbone of America – our middle class”.
Last spring, the Covid-19 pandemic triggered the worst financial crisis since 1929, with millions of Americans losing their jobs or seeing their hours cut.
If her nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Raimondo will take on business-government relations, handling issues such as trade wars instigated by President Donald Trump and how to regulate tech giants.
Walsh wil be the first union leader to head the Labour Department in 50 years, according to the Biden statement, and will take on such tasks as reviewing working conditions disrupted by the pandemic. – AFP, January 8, 2021
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