BIDEN CABINET NEWS: Joe Biden could announce his health team as soon as next week, which would include HHS Secretary, CDC Director and COVID czar -- for which Jeff Zients remains a favorite, a transition official tells @PeterAlexander.
The leading choices for Biden's HHS Secretary are former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo.
Notably no longer named as a top contender: New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, sources tell @HeidiNBC and @PeterAlexander .
Notably no longer named as a top contender: New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, sources tell @HeidiNBC and @PeterAlexander .
For Biden's Education Secretary: Dr. Sonja Santelises, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, and Linda Darling Hammond, a Stanford education professor, are among the top contenders, per a transition official.
Also on the shortlist: Lily Eskelsen García and Randi Weingarten.
Also on the shortlist: Lily Eskelsen García and Randi Weingarten.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is a top pick to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA), sources tell me.
The SBA administrator will be elevated to a Cabinet position in a Biden administration, @carolelee and I are told.
The SBA administrator will be elevated to a Cabinet position in a Biden administration, @carolelee and I are told.
As @mikememoli notes, the margin for Democrats in the House right now is down to such a level where picking even one or two current members for Biden Cabinet positions puts them at the risk of being unable to pass legislation without 100% party unity – a big challenge.
We're also watching the pressure coming from the Congressional Black Caucus to name an African American to one the remaining "big 4" Cabinet jobs. Given Biden’s selections for State (Blinken) and Treasury (Yellen), attention is focused on his choices for Atty Gen and Defense Sec.
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