After the Election Ed Lesson Seven — Cabinet Appointments

Written by Rachele Terranova, Graphics by Nadia Nugent

Cabinet Appointments

What are the Cabinet positions? What are they for?

Other than the vice president, there are 15 executive department heads that make up the cabinet. These include the secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs and the Attorney General. In total there are 23 Cabinet-level positions. This includes the White House Chief of Staff, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the Director of National Intelligence, the U.S. Trade Representative, the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Office of Science and Technology Policy as well as the Small Business Administration.

These positions date back to Article II Section 2 of the Constitution when the presidency first started— they are meant to be key advisers to the president based on their relegated duties.

How do Cabinet picks get confirmed?

In order to be confirmed, the president appoints the heads of the departments and the Senate votes to confirm them. Should there be a tie in confirming a member, the vice president will act as the tie breaker.

Who are Joe Biden’s picks and who has been confirmed?

Biden’s cabinet is set to make history— there are several positions set to be filled for the first time by women or a person of color.

Confirmed by Senate

Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo

Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, Cecilia Rouse

Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona

Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm

United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack

Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough

Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg

Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas