Biden’s Plans to Diversify the White House
President-elect Joe Biden recently announced the names of the appointees for several important White House positions. Biden has selected the members of both the White House senior communications team and economics team, both of which will be dominated by women. Among Biden’s top choices are multiple men and women of color who have been enlisted to support Biden’s plan to present a diversified White House staff to the American public. While Biden’s communications team consists of a few familiar faces in politics, Biden ensures Americans that he has chosen the competent candidates to head some of the administration’s most crucial functions.
The woman expected to take her place as President Biden’s director of Office Management and Budget is Neera Tanden, the chief executive of the Center for American Progress, which is a public policy research and advocacy organization that expresses mainly liberal views on social and economic issues. Neera Tanden was born to Indian immigrants, making her the first woman of color to head the agency. Biden has also announced that he will appoint Cecilia Rouse, a labor economist at Princeton University, as chairwoman of the three-member Council of Economic Advisers. Rouse will be accompanied by fellow economists Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey. Rouse will make history as the first ever African American woman to chair the council. The economic downturn brought on by the pandemic will surely leave Biden and Rouse with a lot on their hands, as tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs since the pandemic first hit the United States.
Biden has also selected the former chair of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, to serve as his treasury secretary. The veteran Democratic spokeswoman, Jennifer Psaki, will replace current press secretary, Kayleigh McEnanny, when Biden is officially sworn into office. Psaki is one of seven women who will hold top spots on Biden’s communications team. Joe Biden’s longtime aide, Kate Bedingfield, will serve as Biden’s campaign communications director, as she has assisted him on the campaign trail prior to the election.
In a recent article by The Washington Post, Biden expressed the goals he hopes to achieve once he is in office stating, “Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House.” Biden ensures Americans that he has decided on some of the most capable and qualified communicators in their respective fields to head his communications team. Biden’s appointees compliment his efforts to promote diversity and unity, as the administration’s largely female communications staff will surely alter how journalists and reporters cover some of the country’s top stories. For years, men have dominated political and government broadcasting, but Biden’s team will provide Americans with unique perspectives that will bring a fresh approach to media coverage of the White House.
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