United States President-elect Joe Biden on Monday announced some key members for his cabinet, in the process making history with some of the portfolios.
Biden picked longtime foreign policy advisor Antony Blinken to be his secretary of state and former US chief diplomat John Kerry as his special climate envoy. Kerry will be made a member of the national security council – the first time the council has had a specialist on climate change.
He also nominated Cuba-born lawyer Alejandro Mayorkas to lead the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration – making him the first Latino ever to hold this post.
He picked Avril Haines, the former deputy CIA director, as his director of national intelligence, the first woman to ever hold this position.
Biden also announced that veteran diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield will be nominated to serve as his ambassador to the United Nations, with status as a cabinet member.
Additionally Jake Sullivan, who was a security aide to Biden when he was vice president, was appointed White House national security advisor.
A key feature of his appointments is the vast experience each person holds with all being members of the 2009-2017 Obama-Biden administration.