The Women that Makeup Biden’s Cabinet and Why Representation Matters
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While many Americans rejoiced as Biden narrowly beat Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential elections and was proclaimed president, America celebrated another victory; the most diverse and the largest number of women in a United State’s cabinet ... ever.
The eleven women serving Biden’s cabinet consist of highly accomplished academics, prominent political figures, mothers, and even a bookstore owner. Below is a brief profile of each female cabinet member in the Biden administration (“The Cabinet”, 2021).
Kamala Harris - Vice President
Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants to the United States from Jamaica and India, is the first female and first Black and South Asian American vice president.
Dr. Janet Yellen – Secretary of Treasury
Dr. Yellen, an American economist and policymaker who also was the first woman to serve as the Federal Reserve chair for one term under the Obama administration, will be the first woman to serve the position of secretary of treasury. Her role includes overseeing the country’s fiscal policies of taxing and spending, making budget decisions, as well as dealing with trade wars and tariffs on Chinese companies that were leftover from the Trump administration (Rooks, 2021).
Deb Haaland – Secretary of Interior
Deb Haaland, a political progressive who supports the Green New Deal and Medicare for all from New Mexico will be the first Native American woman to serve as a cabinet secretary and the Secretary of Interior. Her role includes overseeing the management of federal land and natural resources, and other protected areas of the country.
Gina Raimondo – Secretary of Commerce
Gina Raimondo, who was previously the first female governor of Rhode Island, will work as the secretary of Commerce, adding another female figure into Biden’s cabinet. As the governor of Rhode Island, she signed into law the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship in 2017 where tuition-free community college was promised to all high school graduates in the state, consequently boosting college enrollment in the area. As Secretary of Commerce, Raimondo will work on managing an $8 billion dollar budget to stimulate economic development and increasing employment post covid crisis (Gina M. Raimondo, N.A).
Marcia Fudge – Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Marcia Fudge, who served as the first female, African American mayor of Warrensville heights in Ohio, will work as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Biden administration. Experienced in advocating for affordable housing and working for the needs of low-income families, Fudge’s job will include tackling homelessness, meeting the housing needs of Americans, and eliminating housing discrimination (Marcia L. Fudge, N.A.).
Jennifer Granholm – Secretary of Energy
Jennifer Granholm, the first female governor in Michigan in 2002, will join Biden’s cabinet as Secretary of Energy to help implement Biden’s Green Energy Plan, which proposes to spend $2 trillion on investments in clean energy and ending carbon emissions by 2035. Granholm will also be responsible for maintaining American nuclear weapon stockpile.
Avril Haines – Director of National Intelligence
Avril Haines, who also has a degree in physics, has a license to fly planes, can fix cars, and launched a bookstore with her husband, will be the first woman to take the position of Director of National Intelligence (Myer, 2020). Her job includes overseeing the 16 US intelligence agencies.
Katherine Tai – United States Trade Representative
Katherine Tai, an American attorney, will be the first woman of color to serve as the United States Trade Representative. She is responsible for shaping the new administration’s China policy including tariffs, undoing the Trump’s administration on trade with China, as well as overseeing trade negotiations of U.S. international trade.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield – United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, rich with experience in diplomacy as she served as the previous U.S. ambassador to Liberia during the Bush administration as well as contributing to the response to the Ebola epidemic during her time as a diplomat for African affairs in 2017, will be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
Dr. Cecilia Rouse – Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
Dr. Cecilia Rouse, who also served as a member of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors from 2009 to 2011 while singlehandedly raising two children in Washington while her husband remained at Princeton, will serve as the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. The council advises the president directly on economic policy and analyzing economic policies and trends.
Isabel Guzman – Administrator of the Small Business Administration
Isabel Guzman, who is also the only Latina in Biden’s cabinet, will serve as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration. The Small Business Administration provides business counseling and loans, as well as manages the Paycheck Protection Program, which has already distributed approximately $1 trillion during the pandemic to small businesses nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When evaluating Biden’s diverse cabinet, one can also take into account the intersectionality of the women that make up the team. The racial, cultural, and economic diversity of the female cabinet members indicates the acknowledgement that not all women have the same experiences, and we can expect congress to welcome much more than just a women’s perspective on politics and public policy. The historic appointment of Dr. Janet Yellen as the first woman to serve as the Secretary of Treasury, a finance-related position dominated by men, too, shows a serious commitment to the representation of women as well as the gender progressive nature of the administration (Tatum, N.A.).
From the very first day of his presidency, Biden and his administration have been tested with various critical tasks, from coordinating an effective COVID-19 response to rebuilding the economy post covid recession to fixing diplomatic ties with China. While many things remain uncertain, the future of America looks bright with the newly elected women in Biden’s cabinet.
References
“Gina M. Raimondo.” U.S. Department of Commerce, https://www.commerce.gov/about/leadership/gina-m-raimondo.
“The Cabinet.” The White House, The United States Government, 23 Mar. 2021, www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet/.
Rooks, Timothy. “Who Is US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen?: DW: 26.01.2021.” DW.COM, 2021, www.dw.com/en/who-is-us-treasury-secretary-janet-yellen/a-56225268.
“Secretary Marcia L. Fudge: HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).” Secretary Marcia L. Fudge | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), www.hud.gov/about/leadership/marcia_fudge.
Tatum, Amy. “What Happened?: In His Cabinet Appointments and Actions, Joe Biden Has Elevated the Voices of Women and Marginalised Gender Communities.” USAPP, 19 Apr. 2021, blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2021/04/19/what-happened-in-his-cabinet-appointments-and-actions-joe-biden-has-elevated-the-voices-of-women-and-marginalised-gender-communities/.