President-elect Joe Biden has tapped former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.
The appointment is seen as a shift for Rice, who has years of foreign policy experience as a former national security adviser under President Barack Obama and the United States’ ambassador to the United Nations.
Rice — who was reportedly vetted for vice president and a contender for secretary of state — will have significant influence over the incoming administration’s approach to immigration, health care and racial inequality.
Of the latest announcement of appointees to his pending administration, Biden remarked, “this dedicated and distinguished group of public servants will bring the highest level of experience, compassion and integrity to bear, solving problems and expanding possibilities for the American people in the face of steep challenges.”
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Also named in today’s announcement were the president-elect’s picks of Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Katherine Tai for U.S. Trade Representative, Denis McDonough to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs and Tom Vilsack for Agriculture Secretary.
“The roles they will take on are where the rubber meets the road,” said Biden, “where competent and crisis-tested governance can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, enhancing the dignity, equity, security and prosperity of the day-to-day lives of Americans. This is the right team for this moment in history, and I know that each of these leaders will hit the ground running on day one to take on the interconnected crises families are facing today.”
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Ambassador Rice “will carry through the President-elect’s vision of a newly empowered Domestic Policy Council and turbocharge the effort to build back better,” according to the official announcement statement.
“Rice is among our nation’s most senior and experienced government leaders with the skills to harness the power of the federal government to serve the American people. As a former member of the Cabinet, she also understands the challenges and opportunities of running an agency and has extensive experience working with other key members of the Biden-Harris White House team, including the heads of NSC (National Security Council) and NEC (National Economic Council).”
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Their potential administration members, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said, “will help us meet a range of other challenges — from helping make sure no American goes hungry to putting affordable housing within reach for all to caring for veterans and their families and advancing our ideals of opportunity and equality.”
“These deeply experienced public servants reflect the best of our nation,” she added, “and will be ready to hit the ground running on day one to rebuild our country in a way that lifts up all Americans.”
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