Updated November 23, 2020

Home , Mike Donilon, Reema Dodin, Second Lady

Executive office of the President (EOP) The Executive Office of the President (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government. To provide the President with the support that he or she needs to govern effectively, the Executive Office of the President (EOP) was created in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The EOP has responsibility for tasks ranging from communicating the President’s message to the American people to promoting our trade interests abroad. The EOP is also referred to as a 'permanent government', with many policy programs, and the people who implement them, continuing between presidential administrations. This is because there is a need for qualified, knowledgeable civil servants in each office or agency to inform new politicians.

With the increase in technological and global advancement, the size of the White House staff has increased to include an array of policy experts to effectively address various fields. There are about 4,000 positions in the EOP, most of which do not require confirmation from the U.S. Senate.

Senior staff within the Executive Office of the President have the title Assistant to the President, second-level staff have the title Deputy Assistant to the President, and third-level staff have the title Special Assistant to the President.

The core White House staff appointments, and most Executive Office officials generally, are not required to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, although there are a handful of exceptions (e.g., the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Chair and members of the Council of Economic Advisers, and the United States Trade Representative). link

The following entities exist within the Executive Office of the President:

• Council of Economic Advisers • Council on Environmental Quality • Executive Residence • National Security Council • Office of Administration • Office of Management and Budget • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Office of Science and Technology Policy • Office of the United States Trade Representative • Office of the Vice President • White House Office

White House Office

In addition, the following entities exist within the White House Office, staff working directly for and reporting to the President including West Wing Staff and the president’s closest advisers

• Domestic Policy Council o Office of National AIDS Policy o Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships o Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation o White House Rural Council • National Security Advisor • National Economic Council • Office of Cabinet Affairs • Office of the Chief of Staff o Chief of Staff: Ron Klain o Deputy Chief of Staff: Jen O’Malley Dillon • Office of Communications o Office of the Press Secretary o Media Affairs o Research o Speechwriting • Office of Digital Strategy • Office of the First Lady o Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden: Julissa Reynoso Pantaleong o Senior Advisor to Dr. Jill Biden: Anthony Bernal o Policy Director to Dr. Jill Biden: Mala Adiga o Office of the Social Secretary ▪ White House Social Secretary: Carlos Elizondo • Office of Legislative Affairs o Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs: Louisa Terrell o Deputy Director of White House Office of Legislative Affairs: Reema Dodin o Deputy Director of White House Office of Legislative Affairs: Shuwanza Goff • Office of Management and Administration o White House Personnel o White House Operations o Telephone Office o Visitors Office

• Oval Office Operations o Director of Oval Office Operations: Annie Tomasini • Office of Presidential Personnel o Director of White House Office of Presidential Personnel: Cathy Russell • Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs o Office of Public Engagement ▪ Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement: Congressman Cedric Richmond ▪ Council on Women and Girls o Office of Intergovernmental Affairs ▪ Director of White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs: Julie Chavez Rodriguez o Office of Urban Affairs • Office of Scheduling and Advance • Office of the Staff Secretary o Presidential Correspondence o Executive Clerk o Records Management • Office of the White House Counsel o White House Counsel: Dana Remus •

Biden – Harris Transition Confirmed White House Staff White House Chief of Staff: Ron Klain graduated summa cum laude Harvard Law School, Editor of the Harvard Law Review Ron Klain served as the president-elect’s first Chief of Staff when he became Vice President (2009-11); Chief Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the president-elect’s tenure as Chair of the Committee (1989-92); and Policy Advisor on the Judiciary Committee staff (1986-87). Klain also worked as an advisor on President-elect Biden’s 1988 and 2008 Presidential campaigns. Klain has devoted many years to public service, serving as White House Ebola Response Coordinator (2014-15). At the conclusion of his work coordinating the US response, President Obama said that Klain had taken on “a challenge that many called insurmountable, and, in leading the team responsible for tremendous progress, helped remind the world what makes America exceptional.” Earlier, in addition to his work with then-Vice President Biden, Klain served as Chief of Staff for Vice President Al Gore, Chief of Staff and Counselor to Attorney General Janet Reno, and Staff Director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Committee. Klain was also Associate Counsel to President Clinton and in charge of judicial selection. Through his work on the Judiciary Committee, and in the Executive Branch, he has played a role in the selection or confirmation of eight Supreme Court Justices. Prior to joining the Biden for President campaign, Klain was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Revolution LLC. In 2005, prior to joining Revolution, Klain spent four years as a partner and National Practice Group Chair at O’Melveny & Myers. Klain began his legal career as a law clerk to Justice Byron White, for the Supreme Court’s 1987 and 1988 Terms. He was also General Counsel for the Gore Recount Committee in 2000. Serving as an advisor on several Presidential campaigns, Klain has worked for Presidents Obama and Clinton, and Democratic Presidential nominees Al Gore, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. Ron Klain graduated summa cum laude from Harvard Law School, was an Editor of the Harvard Law Review, and won the Sears Prize for highest grade average in 1985. He was a summa cum laude graduate of Georgetown University, where he serves an Adjunct Professor. Klain is married to Monica Medina and they have three grown children. link

Deputy Chief of Staff: Jen O’Malley Dillon Massachusetts Native and Tufts Graduate

Jen O’Malley Dillon served as the Campaign Manager for the Biden-Harris campaign. She was the first female campaign manager for a successful Democratic presidential campaign. A veteran of seven presidential campaigns, O’Malley Dillon has worked in leadership and organizing positions on campaigns at every level – from state senate and mayoral races to congressional, gubernatorial, and senate campaigns. Prior to joining the Biden campaign in March 2020, she was the Campaign Manager for Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign and was a founding partner at Precision Strategies, a communications, digital, and data- targeting firm. Previously, she served as Deputy Campaign manager for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee, and battleground states director for Obama’s 2008 campaign. In her 2012 role, she oversaw the largest field, education, political outreach, and data analytics organization in the history of presidential campaigns. A native of Massachusetts, O’Malley Dillon is a graduate of Tufts University and a mom of three young children. link

Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement: Congressman Cedric Richmond

Congressman Cedric Richmond was National Co-Chairman of the Biden-Harris Campaign and is currently a Co-Chair of the Biden-Harris Transition Team. Since 2011, Richmond has represented Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. During his time in Congress, Richmond served on the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Committee on Homeland Security, the House Committee on the Judiciary, the House Democratic Assistant to the Majority Whip, a member of the New Democratic Coalition, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and, most recently, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Richmond was a leader in helping to enact landmark criminal justice reform and ensuring that the people of Louisiana’s 2nd District were prepared for emergencies and natural disasters through his oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on the House Committee on Homeland Security. Born and raised in New Orleans, Richmond is a graduate of Morehouse College and Tulane University School of Law, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. link

Director of White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs: Julie Chavez Rodriguez Julie Chavez Rodriguez served as a Deputy Campaign Manager on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Before that, she was National Political Director and traveling Chief of Staff for then-Senator Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Prior to launching Senator Harris’ campaign, she served as California State Director in her senate office. During the Obama-

Biden administration, Chavez Rodriguez served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Deputy Director of Public Engagement in the Office of Public Engagement. Before joining the White House, Chavez Rodriguez served as the Director of Youth Employment at the Department of the Interior and as Deputy Press Secretary to former Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Earlier in her career, she served as the Director of Programs at the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation. A native of California, she is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. link

Senior Advisor to the President: Mike Donilon native of Rhode Island Mike Donilon served as Chief Strategist for the Biden-Harris Campaign, where he was responsible for overseeing message discipline and development, television advertising, speechwriting, and polling and research. Previously, Donilon served as Counselor to then- Vice President Biden in the White House. Donilon has been a nationally recognized strategist, media consultant and pollster for nearly four decades, having been part of six US presidential campaigns and more than 25 winning US Senate, gubernatorial, US House and mayoral campaigns. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris campaign, Donilon was Managing Director of the Biden Institute and assistant professor at the University of Delaware. A native of Rhode Island, Donilon is a graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center. link

White House Counsel: Dana Remus native of New Hampshire, Remus is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School. Dana Remus served as General Counsel of the Biden-Harris Campaign. Prior to that, she was General Counsel of the Obama Foundation and President and Mrs. Obama’s personal office. During the Obama-Biden administration, Remus was the Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel for Ethics. Previously, she was a Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she specialized in legal and judicial ethics and the regulation of the legal profession. Remus clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. and Judge Anthony J. Scirica of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and was an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. A native of New Hampshire, Remus is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School. link

Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs: Louisa Terrell

7 graduate of Boston College School of Law Louisa Terrell currently oversees legislative affairs for the Biden-Harris Transition Team. Terrell’s two decades of experience includes leadership roles in the public and private sectors, including as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs in the Obama- Biden administration. Prior to that, she served as an Advisor to Tom Wheeler, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and worked for several years on Capitol Hill, including as Deputy Chief of Staff for then-U.S. Senator Biden and Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Cory Booker. Terrell’s work outside of government has included roles as the Deputy General Counsel and Head of Public Affairs at McKinsey & Company, Executive Director of the Biden Foundation, Senior Director for Federal Policy & Strategy at Yahoo!, and Director of Public Policy at Facebook. Originally from Delaware, Terrell is a graduate of Tufts University and Boston College School of Law, and lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two daughters. link

*NEW* Deputy Director of White House Office of Legislative Affairs: Reema Dodin

Reema Dodin currently serves as a volunteer on the Biden-Harris Transition Team leading legislative engagement for the confirmations process. She also serves as Deputy Chief of Staff and Floor Director to the Senate Democratic Whip, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL). Prior to that, Dodin served as Senator Durbin’s Floor Counsel, Research Director and as an aide to his Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. Dodin has served as a volunteer voter-protection counsel on a number of campaigns, including the Obama for America campaign. She is a Truman National Security Fellow, a New Leaders Council Fellow, an Aspen Socrates alum, a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the Jenkins Hill Society — a consortium of women in politics supporting female politicians. Dodin is the co-author of a primer on House and Senate Floor procedures through Brookings publications. Originally from California, Dodin is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. link

*NEW* Deputy Director of White House Office of Legislative Affairs: Shuwanza Goff first Black woman to hold the position

Shuwanza Goff served as Floor Director for the House of Representatives under House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer. The first Black woman to hold the position, Goff determined which bills came to the House floor, set the legislative schedule, and helped craft the overall House Democratic agenda. Prior to that, Goff was Director of Legislative Operations for Representative Hoyer when he was minority whip. Goff has also served as Floor Aide, Floor Assistant, and Staff Assistant for Representative Hoyer. Originally from Virginia, Goff is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and American University. link

Counselor to the President: Steve Ricchetti

Steve Ricchetti served as Chairman of the Biden-Harris campaign. Throughout his decades of public service, Ricchetti has held senior roles on Capitol Hill and at the White House, including as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Vice President Biden, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton, Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs for President Clinton during the impeachment hearings, and Executive Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 1992, when women won a record number of seats. Before joining the Obama-Biden administration in 2009, Ricchetti was the founder and president of an independent government relations and political consulting firm. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris campaign, Ricchetti was Managing Director of the Penn Biden Center. A native of Ohio, Ricchetti is a graduate of Miami University and George Mason University School of Law. link

Director of Oval Office Operations: Annie Tomasini native of Boston and graduate of Boston University Annie Tomasini serves as President Elect Biden’s Traveling Chief of Staff, where she ensures the execution of day to day affairs and provides strategic counsel to the President Elect. Tomasini has served the Biden family for over a decade in several positions, including as Deputy Press Secretary for Vice President Biden and Press Secretary for Senator Biden when he was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Previously, Tomasini was Senior Director of State, Local, and Community Relations and Strategic Outreach at Harvard Public Affairs and Communications, where she oversaw the relationships with Harvard University’s external stakeholders, host communities, and state and local government. She began her career at Rasky Partners Inc, one of the largest public relations firms in New England. Tomasini also serves on the non-profit Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester. A native of Massachusetts, Tomasini is a graduate of Boston University. link

*NEW* Director of White House Office of Presidential Personnel: Cathy Russell

Former resident fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; former Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and as Senior Counsel to Senator Patrick J. Leahy; graduated from Boston College Ambassador Cathy Russell serves on the Advisory Board of the Biden-Harris Transition Team and served as Vice Chair of the Biden-Harris Campaign. Before that, Ambassador Russell was a resident fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. During the Obama-Biden administration, Ambassador Russell served for all eight years at the White House and the U.S. Department of State, including as Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden and the U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, where she led efforts to integrate women’s issues into US foreign policy. Previously, she served as the senior advisor on international women’s issues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, as the Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and as Senior Counsel to Senator Patrick J. Leahy. Ambassador Russell serves on multiple boards and advisory committees, including board co-chair of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group, a board member of Women for Women International, as well as a member of the Sesame Street Global Advisory Group, the Leadership Council for Women in National Security Steering Committee, the National Security Action Advisory Council, the Thomson Reuters Trust Women Foundation, and the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council. A native of Pennsylvania, Ambassador Russell graduated from Boston College and the George Washington University Law School. link

Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden: Julissa Reynoso Pantaleong graduate of Harvard University

Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon is a partner at the law firm of Winston & Strawn. During the Obama-Biden administration, Reynoso served as U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere in the U.S. Department of State, where she developed comprehensive security and rule of law strategies for Central America and the Caribbean. Reynoso serves on the boards of several nonprofit and advocacy organizations, and was on the faculty of Columbia Law School and Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. She serves as trustee for New York-Presbyterian Hospital and for Columbia University, and is on the Board of Directors of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law and the Truman National Security Project. Reynoso was born in the Dominican Republic, migrated to the United States at the age of seven, and grew up in the Bronx, New York City. She clerked for Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York, and is a graduate of Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, and Columbia Law School. link

Senior Advisor to Dr. Jill Biden: Anthony Bernal Anthony Bernal was Deputy Campaign Manager and Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Bernal has served as a trusted advisor and assistant to the Biden family for more than a decade. From 2017 to 2019, he served as Chief of Staff in the Office of Dr. Biden. He served for all eight years of the Obama-Biden administration in multiple leadership roles, including as Director of Scheduling and Trip Director for Dr. Biden, and as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff to Dr. Biden. He was also Director of Scheduling for Dr. Biden during the 2008 Obama-Biden campaign and served on the Obama-Biden Transition Team as Director of Scheduling and Advance for Dr. Biden. Bernal began his career in public service at the White House under both President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore on their scheduling and advance teams. Following the 2000 election, Bernal held a number of positions outside of government, including international relations work at the Coca-Cola Company and AARP, and as Director of Financial Administration of the Democratic National Convention Committee and Chief of Staff at the ALS Therapy Development Foundation, a non-profit biotechnology company. A native of Arizona, he is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso and attended Carleton College. link Policy Director to Dr. Jill Biden: Mala Adiga Mala Adiga served as a senior advisor to Dr. Jill Biden and a senior policy advisor on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Previously, Adiga was Director for Higher Education and Military Families at the Biden Foundation. During the Obama-Biden administration, Adiga served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Ambassador-at-Large, and as Director for Human Rights on the National Security Staff. Prior to that, she was Counsel to the Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice. Before entering government service, Adiga worked on the Obama-Biden 2008 presidential campaign. Prior to the campaign, she was a litigation associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago and clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon in the Northern District of Indiana. A native of Illinois, Adiga is a graduate of Grinnell College, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and the University of Chicago Law School. link

White House Social Secretary: Carlos Elizondo

Carlos Elizondo was a Special Assistant to the President and Social Secretary to Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden for all eight years of the Obama-Biden administration, the first Hispanic American appointed to this position. In this role, he had responsibility for planning, managing, and successfully executing all events hosted by the Vice President and his family, to include visits by world leaders, members of Congress, business leaders, and other high-ranking dignitaries and celebrities. During the Clinton-Gore administration, Elizondo served in both the White House and in the Office of the U.S. Chief of Protocol,

11 where he managed numerous state visits, Papal visits, the Centennial Olympic Games, the NATO 50th Anniversary Summit and other international summits. Elizondo has held several positions outside of government, including Senior Director of Presidential Events at Georgetown University, Manager of Special Activities and Protocol at Walt Disney World, and as an Estate Manager overseeing operations for a private family estate. Originally from Texas, Elizondo is a graduate of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. He and his partner reside in Washington, D.C. link

Staff Positions to still be announced in the coming weeks link KEY WHITE HOUSE STAFF

• Chairperson, National Economic Council • Director, Domestic Policy Council • Communications Director • Press Secretary • Chief of Staff for the Vice President

The Cabinet – CONFIRMED Nominees and Appointees

Confirmation Team

Confirmations teams typically guide nominees through the process, including preparing for hearings, navigating meetings with senators, and handling incoming pressure from outside groups. The Biden team is also preparing a possible public relations blitz to "introduce nominees to the American people," a transition official said, including the possibility of having Cabinet nominees speak publicly before their confirmation hearings take place. link

It was announced this week that President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Jen Psaki to lead his team overseeing Senate confirmation process for his future Cabinet nominations, Politico reports. Psaki previously served as former President Obama’s White House. Communications director Olivia Dalton, a former Biden Senate aide and campaign consultant, will run communications and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin’s floor director, Reema Dodin, to manage legislative strategy.

• Director Nomination team: Jen Psaki • Communications Director: Olivia Alair Dalton • Legislative Director: Reema Dodin • Deputy Outreach Director for Confirmations: Jorge Neri

NATIONAL SECURITY

Biden will nominate officials to lead the federal government's domestic and international security efforts. These officials will oversee U.S. intelligence and defense as well as spearhead relations with world leaders and international coalitions. All of these officials must be confirmed by the Senate.

• Secretary of State - Anthony Blinken *NEW* • Secretary of Defense • Secretary of Homeland Security – Alejandro Mayorkas *NEW* • CIA Director • Director of National Intelligence – Avril Haines *NEW* • Ambassador to the United Nations – Linda Thomas-Greenfield *NEW*

These Officials do not need to be confirmed by the Senate:

• National Security Advisor – Jake Sullivan *NEW* • Special Presidential Envoy for Climate – Fmr. Secretary John Kerry *NEW*

*NEW* Secretary of State: Antony Blinken

Antony Blinken has held senior foreign policy positions in two administrations over three decades, and has advised President-elect Biden on foreign policy since 2002. From 2015 to 2017, Blinken served as Deputy Secretary of State under the Obama-Biden administration. In that role, Blinken helped to lead diplomacy in the fight against ISIL, the rebalance to Asia, and the global refugee crisis, while building bridges to the innovation community. Before that, Blinken served as Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama. He chaired the Deputies Committee, the administration’s principal forum for formulating foreign policy. During the first Obama term, he was National Security Advisor to Vice President Biden. Blinken served as Democratic Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008 and was a member of President Clinton’s National Security Council staff from 1994 to 2001. Prior to serving as foreign policy advisor during the Biden-Harris campaign and transition, Blinken served as managing director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement and was the Herter/Nitze Distinguished Scholar at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Before entering public service, Blinken was a reporter for The New Republic magazine, writing extensively on foreign policy. He is the author of Ally Versus Ally: America, Europe, and the Siberian Pipeline Crisis. He has also served as a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and a global affairs analyst for CNN. Blinken is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School. Blinken graduated from high school in Paris, where he lived from ages nine to eighteen. link

*NEW* Secretary of Homeland Security: Alejandro Mayorkas

Alejandro Mayorkas is the first Latino and immigrant nominated to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security. He has led a distinguished 30-year career as a law enforcement official and a nationally-recognized lawyer in the private sector. Mayorkas served as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the Obama-Biden Administration from 2013 to 2016, and as the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2009 to 2013. During his tenure at DHS, he led the development and implementation of DACA, negotiated cybersecurity and homeland security agreements with foreign governments, led the Department’s response to Ebola and Zika, helped build and administer the Blue Campaign to combat human trafficking, and developed an emergency relief program for orphaned youth following the tragic January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Mayorkas also created the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate to better ensure the integrity of the legal immigration system.

Mayorkas began his government service in the Department of Justice, where he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California, specializing in the prosecution of whitecollar crime. After nearly nine years as a federal prosecutor, he became the youngest United States Attorney in the nation, overseeing prosecutions of national significance, including the investigation and prosecution of financial fraud, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, public corruption, violent crime, cybercrime, environmental crime, international money laundering, and securities fraud. Mayorkas has also led a distinguished legal career in the private sector, at O’Melveny & Myers and most recently WilmerHale, where he has specialized in strategic counseling and crisis management. He serves several non-profit organizations focused on providing legal services to the poor, refugee resettlement, and education for underprivileged youth. Mayorkas was born in Havana, Cuba and was the highest-ranking Cuban American to serve in the Obama-Biden Administration. Mayorkas received his bachelor’s degree with distinction from the University of California at Berkeley and a law degree from Loyola Law School. link

*NEW* Director of National Intelligence: Avril Haines

Avril Haines has worked with President-elect Biden in various roles for more than a decade, and will become the first woman to serve as Director of National Intelligence. During the Obama administration, Haines served as Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor from 2015-2017, during which time she led the National Security Council’s (NSC) Deputies Committee. From 2013-2015, Haines was the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; she was the first woman to hold both of these positions. Avril began her service in the Obama administration in 2010 as the NSC Legal Advisor. From 2007-2008, Haines served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while President-elect Biden served as chairman. Haines has led the Transition’s National Security and Foreign Policy Team since its founding in June 2020. Prior to that time, she served in various roles including Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University; a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory; and a member of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. Haines received her bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. link

*NEW* U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: Linda Thomas- Greenfield

Retired Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a career diplomat, is returning to public service after retiring from a 35-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service in 2017. From 2013 to 2017 she served as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, where

15 she led the bureau focused on the development and management of U.S. policy toward sub- Saharan Africa. Prior to this appointment, she served as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources (2012-2013), leading a team in charge of the State Department’s 70,000-strong workforce. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s distinguished Foreign Service career includes an ambassadorship to Liberia (2008-2012), and postings in Switzerland (at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations), Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Jamaica. In Washington, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of African Affairs (2006- 2008), and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (2004-2006). Since 2017, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield has led the Africa Practice at Albright Stonebridge Group, a strategic commercial diplomacy firm chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She was also the inaugural Distinguished Resident Fellow in African Studies at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy from fall 2017 to spring 2019. She joined ISD in spring 2017 as a Senior State Department Fellow. Ambassador Thomas- Greenfield earned a B.A. from Louisiana State University and a M.A. from the University of Wisconsin, where she worked towards a PhD. She received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Wisconsin in May 2018. link

*NEW* National Security Advisor: Jake Sullivan Has held teaching posts at Yale Law School, Dartmouth College, and the University of New Hampshire Jake Sullivan is currently a senior policy advisor to President-elect Biden and formerly served as Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to then-Vice President Joe Biden in the Obama-Biden administration. He previously served as Director of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State and as Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. During his time in government, Sullivan was a lead negotiator in the initial talks that paved the way for the Iran nuclear deal and played a key role in the U.S.-brokered negotiations that led to a ceasefire in Gaza in 2012. He also played a key role in shaping the Asia-Pacific rebalance strategy at both the State Department and the White House.

In the years following his service in the Obama-Biden administration, Sullivan was a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he helped conceive and design a bipartisan task force project on a foreign policy for the middle class. He also held teaching posts at Yale Law School, Dartmouth College, and the University of New Hampshire. He co-founded and co-chaired the advisory board for National Security Action, a nonprofit national security advocacy organization, and served on the advisory boards of a number of organizations involved in foreign policy and national security. Sullivan was also a senior policy adviser on the Hillary for America presidential campaign in 2016. link

*NEW* Special Presidential Envoy for Climate: Former Secretary John Kerry

John Kerry served as America’s 68th Secretary of State, the first sitting Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman to serve as Secretary in over a century. Secretary Kerry elevated environmental challenges as diplomatic priorities, from oceans to hydrofluorocarbons. He was a key architect of the Paris Climate Accord, and signed the historic agreement to reduce carbon emissions with his granddaughter on his lap. The New York Times described Kerry as “America’s Mr. Diplomacy,” leading on challenges from nuclear non-proliferation to extremism. A Yale University graduate, Kerry volunteered for the Navy, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was awarded a Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. Kerry was elected Massachusetts’ Lieutenant Governor in 1982 and US Senator in 1984. In 2009, Kerry became Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The first hearing he Chaired was on climate change. He also led Senate efforts to ratify a landmark nonproliferation treaty, successfully intervened in Afghanistan’s election crisis, and negotiated bipartisan domestic climate change legislation. Kerry’s 2018 memoir, Every Day Is Extra, was a best-seller. He has most recently been Yale University’s Distinguished Fellow for Global Affairs and Visiting Distinguished Statesman at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace spearheading programming on climate change and oceans. He co-founded World War Zero to unite unlikely allies on climate change and is a Board Member of the American Security Project. He and his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry have a blended family of two daughters, three sons, and seven grandchildren. link

ECONOMIC POLICY

As the U.S. continues to fight through a recession brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, increased focus will be on whom Biden picks to lead his economic, financial and trade policies. Many of these nominees will play crucial roles in determining further coronavirus relief aid. These positions must also be confirmed by the Senate.

• Secretary of the Treasury • U.S. Trade Representative

• Secretary of Commerce • Chief of Small Business Administration • Director, Office of Management and Budget (confirmation needed)

ADDITONAL MEMBERS OF BIDEN’s CABINET

Biden will overhaul departments to remove Trump appointees and nominate officials who will carry out his policy agenda. These officials require Senate confirmation.

• Attorney General • Secretary of Health and Human Services • Secretary of Labor • Secretary of Transportation • Secretary of Housing and Urban Development • Secretary of Agriculture • Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency • Secretary of the Interior • Secretary of Energy • Secretary of Veterans Affairs • Secretary of Education

117th Congress

Senate Leadership elections link

On November 10th, the Senate Democratic and Republican Caucuses held their leadership elections. A pair of Georgia runoff elections that won't take place until January are on track to determine whether Republicans or Democrats wield the Senate majority next year, but both parties still pressed ahead with elections for top leadership posts for the next session of Congress.

Senate Republican Leadership Senate Republican leadership elections took place Tuesday morning in a closed-door meeting. Elections were determined by majority vote and secret ballot. Mitch McConnell was reelected unanimously as Republican leader. The full slate of current GOP leadership had been expected to remain on with the exception of the chairman of the Senate Republican campaign arm. Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was elected to lead the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the upcoming election cycle, a position currently held by Indiana Sen. Todd Young. It's typical for there to be a new leader in a new election cycle, and Scott's bid was uncontested.

Republican Majority Leader – Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Majority Whip – John Thune (R-SD) Republican Conference Chairman – John Barrasso (R-WY) Republican Policy Committee Chairman – Roy Blunt (R-MO) Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference – Joni Ernst (R-IA) Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman – Rick Scott (R-FL)

Senate Democrat Leadership Current Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer were reelected by Senate party leaders on Tuesday during leadership elections held even as the battle for control of the chamber is still underway.

The Senate Democratic caucus reelected Schumer as Senate Democratic leader and the full leadership team by acclamation, according to a Democratic source.

Democratic Leader, Chairman of the Conference – Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Democratic Whip – Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Assistant Democratic Leader – Patty Murray (D-WA) Chairwoman of Policy & Communications Committee – Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Vice Chair of the Conference – Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) Vice Chair of the Conference – Mark Warner (D-VA) Chair of the Steering Committee – Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Chairman of Outreach – Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Vice-Chairman of Outreach – Catherine Cortex Masto (D-NV) Vice Chairman of Policy & Communications Committee – Joe Manchin (D-WV) Vice Chairman of Policy & Communications Committee – Cory Booker (D-NJ) Secretary of the Conference – Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) Chairman of the Campaign Committee – Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Tuesday's voting process in the Democrat leadership elections will not include any determinations on committee assignments, committee leadership roles or the chairmanship of the Democratic Senate campaign arm, all of which will happen at a later date as is typical for the Democratic caucus.

House Leadership Elections

House Democratic Leadership

Top Democratic leaders reclaimed their roles for the next Congress the week of November 16th when the caucus voted on their leadership team. While the top positions were uncontested, there were a few competitive races down ballot. The election was held via an app.

Speaker of the House -Nancy Pelosi - A full House floor vote for the speakership will take place in January, and Pelosi is poised to remain in the top leadership post for House Democrats. Pelosi pledged in 2019 that she would only serve four more years as speaker, meaning the next Congress would be her last.

Majority Leader – Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) ran uncontested for another term.

Majority Whip – Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) ran uncontested for another term.

Assistant Speaker - For the fourth-ranking post, assistant speaker, Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark defeated Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island.

Caucus Chair –Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) ran uncontested for another term.

Vice Chair of the Caucus - House Democrats on Thursday, November 19th elected California Rep. Pete Aguilar to serve as vice chair of their caucus for the 117th Congress, making him the highest-ranking Latino on the emerging leadership team. Aguilar beat Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly for the role, the No. 6 slot in leadership, by a vote of 148-82. link

Co-Chairs - The caucus also voted by acclamation to elect four co-chairs to the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee as that’s how many candidates were running. The current three DPCC co-chairs, Michigan’s Debbie Dingell, California’s Ted Lieu and Pennsylvania’s Matt Cartwright, were reelected to a second term — their last per caucus rules. Colorado’s Joe Neguse, an outgoing freshman leadership representative, was also elected to the messaging arm, filling a fourth co-chair seat that the caucus installed this fall to replace the so-called “chair of chairs position” created two years ago for Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline. link

Leadership Liaison with junior members of the caucus - Texas freshman Rep. Colin Allred narrowly won a three-way race for caucus leadership representative, a position reserved for members who have served five terms or less, against Colorado freshman Rep. Jason Crow and third-term Michigan Rep. Brenda Lawrence. Only members in their first five terms can vote. The contest required two ballots to resolve since no one secured an outright majority in the close first round, where Allred led with 46 votes over Crow’s 43 and Lawrence’s 42. Lawrence finishing last meant she was dropped from the second-round ballot in which Allred prevailed with 69 votes over Crow’s 58. link

Chair of the DCCC - The chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee won’t be elected until the week of Nov. 30. No specific date has been set to see who will replace Rep. Cheri Bustos (Ill.), who declined to run for another term. Reps. Tony Cardenas (Calif.) and Sean Patrick Maloney (N.Y.) are running for the spot.

House Republican leadership

The top three highest-ranking House Republicans will remain in their leadership posts in the 117th session of Congress following elections held on Tuesday, November 17th.

House Republican Leader - Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California was reelected by the members of the Republican conference to continue on as House GOP leader. House Republican Whip – Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana was reelected. House Republican Conference Chair - Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming was reelected. Republican Policy Committee Chairman – Rep. Gary Palmer was reelected. Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee - Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota was also reelected on Tuesday as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of House Republicans. House Republican Conference Vice-Chair – Rep. Mike Johnson (R LA) House Republican Conference Secretary – Rep. Rich Hudson (R-NC)

The top tier of House GOP leadership had been expected to be reelected after House Republicans outperformed expectations in the 2020 elections and ousted a number of vulnerable Democratic incumbents. Though still in the minority, the GOP leadership team is riding a wave of success on the heels of an election performance that surprised even some if the conference's own members. McCarthy, who has to this point successfully bridged the gap between restive hardline conservatives inside the conference and more traditional GOP members, heads a unified

23 operation that has already started turning its attention toward winning back the majority in 2022. House Republicans met in-person at a hotel near Capitol Hill — with a waiver from the DC government amid an uptick in Covid-19 cases — to hold their leadership votes.

House Committee Leadership

If Democrats keep their majority in the House, committee lineups in the chamber may not change dramatically. But three committee chairs won’t be retaining their gavels next year: Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (Minn.), who lost his race on Tuesday to a Republican, Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (N.Y.), who lost a primary fight earlier this year, and Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (N.Y.), who’s retiring.

Administration: Elections and voting rights are likely to remain as top priorities of the House Administration Committee in the next Congress, as Democrats are likely to once again push a bill to expand voting rights, protect whistleblowers, and crack down on potential conflicts of interest in the executive branch. The panel played a pivotal role in assembling that measure (H.R. 1), which the House passed by a 234-193 party-line vote in 2019. The wide-ranging bill sought to restore felons’ voting rights, create a grant program to bolster states’ election systems, and establish online and automatic voter registration. Read more from Kenneth P. Doyle and Emily Wilkins. Agriculture: The House Agriculture Committee will return in the 117th Congress to hash out additional coronavirus pandemic aid for farmers and ranchers, and could act on the long-awaited reauthorization of child nutrition programs and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. It isn’t clear who will succeed Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), who lost his re-election bid to Republican Michelle Fischbach, though Reps. David Scott (Ga.), Jim Costa (Calif.), and Marcia Fudge (Ohio) are currently the most senior Democrats on the panel. Read more from Megan U. Boyanton. Appropriations: Big changes are under discussion by Democrats in the three-way campaign to lead the House Appropriations Committee, including a return to earmarks and an end to the decades-old ban on federal funds for abortions. Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D- Ohio), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) are vying to succeed retiring Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.). Before lawmakers can focus on proposals for the 117th Congress, they first must fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal 2021; Congress faces a Dec. 11 deadline to avoid a shutdown. Read more from Jack Fitzpatrick. Armed Services: Strong national security, powered by innovation and competition, and paid for by a “reasonable” budget will be the overarching theme for Rep. Adam Smith’s (D- Wash.) leadership of the House Armed Services Committee next year. “When you look at

24 where our budget is at right now—$741 billion—and then you look at the wish list, I mean gosh,” Smith said of the Defense Department’s requests, which have ranged from a 500- ship Navy to new aircraft for the Air Force. Read more from Roxana Tiron. Budget: A recession, a federal debt nearly the size of the U.S. economy, and a Democratic caucus divided over fiscal policy will put the pressure on Budget Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) as he preps a fiscal 2022 budget resolution in the 117th Congress. Yarmuth will attempt to shepherd a budget resolution through his committee, he said in an Oct. 15 interview. Democrats had hoped to include reconciliation instructions to pass coronavirus relief and health care bills in the Senate with a simple majority, but Republicans’ defense of key Senate seats has put that plan in doubt. Read more from Jack Fitzpatrick. Education and Labor: Democrats running the House Education and Labor Committee will renew efforts to make college more affordable and raise wages for workers in 2021, but the timing of those priorities will be determined by Congress’s pandemic response. Education was hit particularly hard, with campuses shut for months, while schools that did re-open for in-person instruction absorbed huge costs from testing and health protocols. Those crises will occupy much of the committee’s work even as Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) tries to sustain momentum for long-held Democratic priorities on higher education, pay fairness, and union protections. Read more from Andrew Kreighbaum and James Rowley. Energy and Commerce: House Energy and Commerce Democrats expect to return to Capitol Hill next year with an agenda similar to last session’s: advance environmental protection and clean energy, strengthen the Affordable Care Act, and safeguarding consumers’ data privacy. Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) plans to formally unveil climate legislation that aims to achieve a 100% clean economy by 2050, but some progressives say that’s not strong enough. Members also will seek to improve energy access, affordability, and reliability: key issues to the country’s recovery from the pandemic and to parts of the U.S. that continue to suffer severe natural disasters. Read more from Kellie Lunney, Alex Ruoff and Rebecca Kern. Financial Services: Addressing the continuing housing crisis and other economic disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic will stay the top priority of the House Financial Services Committee next year. Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) can be expected to continue pushing legislation to extend rental and mortgage assistance to jobless tenants and homeowners facing eviction or foreclosure. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R- N.C.) will likely stay in place as the committee’s top Republican, though a House GOP leadership shuffle could propel him to a conference-elected post. Read more from James Rowley. Foreign Affairs: Democrats returning to lead the House Foreign Affairs Committee will likely look to reshape U.S. diplomacy and presidential war authority in the 117th Congress. Three members are vying to succeed Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who lost his primary, and the outcome is uncertain. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), the next most senior Democrat on the committee and a staunch supporter of Israel, faces challenges from Reps. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.) and Joaquin Castro (Texas), who have been more willing to break with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Naoreen Chowdhury has more.

Homeland Security: Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) wants his Homeland Security Committee in the 117th Congress to have full oversight of the Homeland Security Department’s myriad of agencies, assuming jurisdiction from other powerful committees. Immigration also ranks high on his priorities list. “Whether it’s family separation, whether it is a multi-billion-dollar border wall, the visa program, the Muslim travel ban—all those things that have just gone against the value system of who we are as Americans,” Thompson said. Read more from Shaun Courtney. Judiciary: Reining in big tech, changing immigration policies, and addressing police conduct will top the House Judiciary Committee’s to-do list with Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D- N.Y.) likely to remain chairman. Nadler, who’s been in the position since 2019, could help shepherd a legislative effort to rewrite U.S. antitrust laws governing how companies, such as Alphabet’s Google and Facebook, operate and compete. Democrats will likely to their continue efforts to implement a ban on chokeholds and no-knock warrants for federal law enforcement. Victoria Graham and Rebecca Kern have more. Natural Resources: Climate change and environmental justice legislation will top the agenda for the House Committee on Natural Resources, which will remain under Democratic control in the 117th Congress. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) intends to keep the panel’s gavel for the next term and there are no challengers, a committee spokesman said. The committee will focus most on justice and oversight, regardless of the outcome of the presidential race, the spokesman said ahead of the election. Read more from Bobby Magill. Oversight and Reform: Scrutinizing the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, overseeing the U.S. Postal Service, and getting an accurate Census count will continue in the 117th Congress, lawmakers on the Oversight and Reform Committee said. This will be the first full term for committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), who took over after Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) died in October 2019. Leadership of the subcommittees is likely to be the same—except in the Environment Subcommittee where Harley Rouda’s (D- Calif.) race has yet to be called—as none of those representatives are retiring. Read more from Shira Stein and Louis C. LaBrecque. Rules: House Rules Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) wants Congress to take back its Constitutional powers in the year ahead, regardless of which party holds the White House. “Democrats think Donald Trump has usurped congressional authority and Republicans think Obama did,” McGovern said. “We want to figure out a way to reassert our authority, to not cede everything to the executive branch, no matter who is in control.” His committee began holding hearings on reclaiming congressional authority in the 116th Congress, but Covid-19 put plans on hold. Read more from Emily Wilkins. Science, Space, and Technology: Leadership on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee likely will look much like it has for the last two years, with Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) holding onto the gavel. Johnson has pushed for more federal research activities to prepare for extreme weather events. She characterized the extreme heat and increasingly severe storms of the past summer as an environmental injustice issue at a Sept. 30 Environment Subcommittee hearing, adding that disadvantaged communities bore the brunt of the impacts. Read more from Dean Scott and Naoreen Chowdhury.

Small Business: House Small Business Committee members will likely have their hands full for the foreseeable future dealing with the pandemic’s unprecedented effects on local economies and businesses. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), who won re-election handily and plans to maintain her role as chairwoman in the 117th Congress, will oversee those efforts. “The pandemic has created a once in a generation crisis for small business,” Velázquez told Bloomberg Government in a statement. Read more from Jacob Rund. Transportation and Infrastructure: Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) will return to Congress with a clear goal: reauthorize surface transportation programs. DeFazio will likely use Democrats’ $500 billion highway, transit, and rail bill from this Congress— passed as part of H.R. 2—as the starting point for talks next year. His success hinges on whether he can get others to agree on how to pay for it. The Democrats’ highway bill is “ready-made for what looks to be a fairly long period with the virus,” according to Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), chairwoman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee. Courtney Rozen has more. Veterans’ Affairs: Reducing suicides and addressing the pandemic will likely be a top priority for the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee in the 117th Congress. But first, committee leaders are pushing for final action during the lame-duck session on some of the panel’s top agenda items. Veterans groups said they expect the committee will renew its efforts on any bills that don’t make it to the president’s desk by the end of the year. Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) will be joined next year by a new ranking Republican. Michael Smallberg has more. Ways and Means: Pandemic relief will top the agenda for Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.), will keep his role in the 117th Congress. Neal and other House Democrats will also turn their attention to how they can tweak or change the 2017 Republican tax law, such as removing its $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions. Other changes that have been discussed by Democrats include increasing the corporate income tax to 28%, from 21%, and increasing the tax on those making more than $400,000 a year. But such changes will be unlikely if the Republicans hold on to the Senate. Read more from Kaustuv Basu.