US 2020 Elections: Joe Biden Nominates Economic and Communication Team Members of His Cabinet

As expected and projected by AroniSmart team, women and minorities are being highly represented and will play a major role in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' administration (see AfroAmerica Network: US 2020 Elections: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Prepare for Transition). Below are the new nominees:

Treasury Secretary:
- As predicted by AroniSmart team: ex-Federal Reserve chair of State Janet Yellen. She is expected to be easily confirmed by the Senate. When confirmed, she wil be the first Woman to assume the role ot Treasury Secretary
- Janet Yellen 's statement in a tweet after her nomination : "We face great challenges as a country right now. To recover, we must restore the American dream - a society where each person can rise to their potential and dream even bigger for their children. As Treasury Secretary, I will work every day towards rebuilding that dream for all."
- Joe Biden's Statement on Janet Yellen: "Janet is one of America’s leading economists. She served as the 15th Chair of the Federal Reserve, the first woman to lead America’s central banking system. And now, if confirmed, she will break another glass ceiling as the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Treasury in its 231 years of existence, and the first person to ever serve as Treasury Secretary, Chair of the Federal Reserve, and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. I am proud to have her trail-blazing leadership at the helm of my economic team."

Deputy Treasury Secretary: Wally Adeyemo, former Chair of Obama Foundation. During the Obama administration, Adeyemo was the Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics from 2015 to 2016 and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council. If confirmed, he will be the first Black to be Deputy Treasury Secretary
- Joe Biden's Statement on Wally Adeyemo: "During the Obama-Biden administration, Wally was front and center at the economic decision-making table. Among a broad range of posts, he served as President Obama’s international economic adviser, and now currently serves as the president of the Obama Foundation. If confirmed, he would be the first African American Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. There is no one better equipped for this post to help lead America out of its current economic crisis, and I’m proud to have Wally on the team."

Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers: Cecilia Rouse, an economist and she served as dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. If confirmed, she will be the first Black to lead the Council of Economic Advisers. She will be working with the other two nominees: economists Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey.
- Joe Biden's Statement on Cecilia Rouse: "If confirmed to this post, Cecilia Rouse will become the first African American and just the fourth woman to lead the Council of Economic Advisors. She served on this council during the Obama-Biden administration, and the National Economic Council during the Clinton administration. Cecilia is now the Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and I know that she is an accomplished leader who has the experience to get things done and deliver real result."
- Joe Biden's Statement on Jared Bernstein: "Jared is one of my most trusted economic advisors, having served as my chief economist in the Obama-Biden administration. His previous work as Executive Director of the Obama-Biden White House Task Force on the Middle Class, at the Economic Policy Institute, the Clinton Administration, and as a social worker make him uniquely equipped to lead on economic policies that expand opportunity for working Americans"
- Joe Biden's Statement on Heather Boushey: "I’ve known Heather for a long time, and I know she’ll make a terrific addition to the CEA. She is a leading voice on matters of economic policy, and now serves as President & CEO of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Heather has years of experience at think tanks and on Capitol Hill, and is an expert on the impact of structural inequities on economic growth. I’m proud to have her on board."
Brian Deese, who served as a senior economic official during the Obama administration, was named the Director of the White House National Economic Council.

Head of Office of Management and Budget: Neera Tanden, a political consultant, former government official, and currently the president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C. If confirmed, she will be the first Indian American and woman of colour to lead the Council of Economic Advisers.
- Joe Biden's Statement on Neera Tanden: "Neera is battle-tested and ready to get the job done as our next Director of Office of Management and Budget. She has been at the forefront in creating policies designed to support America’s working families. She’ll fight for your family as if it were her own, because her experience as a child relying on food stamps and Section 8 housing instilled in her a belief that our economy must serve the dignity and humanity of all people. If confirmed, she’ll be the first woman of color and the first South Asian American to lead the OMB, and I’m excited to watch her make history."
Communication team:
- Jennifer Psaki, a veteran Democratic spokeswoman, will be Biden's White House press secretary.
- Karine Jean-Pierre, a campaign adviser and former top official with MoveOn and a Black woman, as principal deputy press secretary.
- Pili Tobar, formerly at America’s Voice, a liberal immigration reform group, and was a staffer for Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), as Deputy White House communications director.
- Ashley Etienne, who served as a Special Assistant to the President and Cabinet Communications Director in the Obama administration and a Black woman, as Vice President-elect Harris’s communications director.
- Simone Sanders, a former senior adviser to Biden’s campaign and a Black woman, as Vice President Harris’s chief spokeswoman.
- Elizabeth E. Alexander, a former campaign adviser who served as Biden’s spokeswoman when he was vice presiden, as communications director for the first lady, in the West Wing.

The prior projections by AroniSmart Team for the key remaining positions remain unchanged:

Housing and Urban Development:
- Stacey Yvonne Abrams, former Georgia House Representative;
- Karen Bass, Democratic Congresswoman from California and Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus;
- Alvin Brown, former Adviser to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
- Maurice Jones, former Deputy at the Housing and Urban Development;
- Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta, Georgia;
- Diance Yentel, Chair of National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Attorney General:
- Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama;
- Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota;
- Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez;
- Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey,
- Former deputy attorney general in the Obama administration, Sally Yates;
- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
Defense:
- Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois;
- Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island;
- Former undersecretary of Defense in the Obama administration, Michele Flournoy.
Agriculture:
- Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota senator who served on the Agriculture Committee;
- Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Veterans Affairs Department:
- Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana;
- Robert A. McDonald, former veterans affairs secretary during the Obama administration.
Education Department:
- Lily Eskelsen García, former president of the National Education Association;
- Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers
Energy Department:
- Washington Governor Jay Inslee;
- Former Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall;
- Chief Executive of the Nuclear Threat Initiative Ernest Moniz.
Labor Department:
- Democratic Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders;
- Seth Harris, former deputy labor secretary;
- Michigan Democratic congressman Andy Levein;
- Julie Su, secretary of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
Health and Human Services Department:
- Mandy Cohen, former chief Operating Officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Obama administration
- David Kessler , former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration;
- Vivek Murthy, former Surgeon General and one of Mr. Biden’s top advisers on the coronavirus.
Interior Secretary:
- Michelle Lujan Grisham, the governor of New Mexico and a former member of Congress.
Central Intelligence Agency:
- Tom Donilon, National Security Adviser under President Barack Obama;
- Mike Morell, former Foreign Service Officer;
- Jeh Johnson, former secretary of Homeland Security
- Susan Gordon, former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration;
- Lisa Monaco, top adviser on Homeland Security to President Obama;