Mr. Biden, What in the Cabinet is going on?
By: Steven Odali Rodriguez
Tags: Joe Biden, Congress, Democrats, Cabinet, Republicans

Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense

While Gen. Lloyd Austin would be the first Black Defense Secretary, his terrible record should overshadow this feat, but we know that is going to be brought up in mainstream media. As Gen. Austin was tapped by Obama to begin the process of the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq in 2010, it was an unorganized effort leaving a depleted Iraqi government vulnerable with a military not trained or equipped to quell the rise of ISIS. The disaster did not stop there as Gen. Austin was then given the responsibility of overseeing a Syrian rebel program to combat ISIS that cost us $384 million, which ended in failure after the millions of dollars earmarked to build the training camps were rarely if ever used.

Shortly after all of these debacles, Gen. Austin sold out to defense contractors and wealthy investment funds becoming a board member at Raytheon and a partner at Pine Island Capital Partners, who both stand to profit immensely from a Biden administration. With this pick, Biden will be allowed to escape critics in the name of diversity and inclusion as his cabinet becomes an identity politics lottery.

Antony Blinken, Secretary of State

The nomination of former Deputy Secretary of State for the Obama administration, Antony Blinken is further evidence that not much will change when it comes to U.S. foreign policy. Blinken is also an investment partner at Pine Island Capital Partners—an indication to where Biden’s interests are. Building back our relationships with our allies, but also continuing military aggression in Africa and the Middle East to secure corporate interests.

We can expect an increase in hawkish-ness from Washington as Blinken has openly advocated for tougher stances on adversaries like Russia in an endgame of maintaining power and control. All signs point to the US imperialist machine to continue producing, but not in the name of democracy. In the name of multinational corporations and the almighty dollar.

Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation

With aspirations of a 2024 or 2028 presidential run, this is as clear a careerist move you can get for Pete Buttigieg. One of the main criticisms of Buttigieg during the Democratic primaries was his inexperience at the national level and working in the Biden administration would dispel that notion in the future. It will allow him to say that he knows what Washington is like, how to make compromises with the other side, and he knows how to get things done for average Americans.

Building America back has not just been one of the main focuses for the Biden transition team, but it has also been adopted as his transition team’s slogan—build back better. Buttigieg is also one of the most known figures on the Biden administration and he will be able to build more political clout as he reshapes and reimagines America’s infrastructure while relatively having no experience.

Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs

In a cabinet position that is traditionally served by a veteran, Biden opted to nominate former Chief of Staff to Obama, Denis McDonough who has never served in the military. Reports found that Biden did not consult with anyone from the veterans community before making this pick, which was a surprise to many senior officials. With the VA being the second largest federal agency, this will definitely be a learning curve for McDonough.

According to the U.S Census Bureau, post-9/11 veterans have the highest rate of disabilities connected to their military service. An indication that as our veterans become a larger share of the U.S. veteran population, there will be a growing number of veterans who will need VA resources. And with a raging year-long pandemic that has caused a backlog in thousands of benefits claims, McDonough will have a lot of work on his plate.

Neera Tanden, Head of the Office of Management and Budget

Arguably, one of the most divisive figures in American politics. Neera Tanden worked as an aide on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and is known for her staunch opposition and criticism of Bernie Sanders and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. As a matter of fact, much of the sabotage of the Sander’s 2016 campaign is attributed to the work behind-the-scenes by Tanden and her liberal think tank, Center for American Progress.

However, Tanden will not likely face a confirmation challenge from progressives in the Senate, but rather Republicans who she has also gone through a myriad of hostile exchanges with in the past. The reason being that there were worst options for the position to pick from for Biden, such as Brian Reed, chief domestic policy adviser during the Clinton administration, who had a signed petition from progressive congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar opposing his appointment.

While Tanden is certainly not a pick that promotes party unity, progressives are choosing their battles wisely during confirmations.