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Lael Brainard, who serves on the Fed’s board of governors, is frequently discussed as a candidate to head the Treasury Department.
Daniel Roland/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Let the cabinet guessing games begin.
As President-elect Joe Biden readies for the White House, Washington is speculating furiously over who will head the Treasury Department, serve as Biden’s secretary of state, take the helm at the Pentagon and fill other key roles.
Here’s a list of select departments and those who could head them, based on MarketWatch reporting and other media coverage.
Treasury: As MarketWatch has reported, much speculation has landed on names like those of Fed Gov. Lael Brainard and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat. Sarah Bloom Raskin, a former Fed governor, is another candidate in the mix, as, reportedly, is Janet Yellen, the former head of the Federal Reserve.
Opinion: This is what the election means for interest rates
Health and Human Services: This agency will be in the spotlight as tackling the coronavirus pandemic remains a huge challenge for Washington. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Obama-era Surgeon General Vivek Murthy are a couple of the prominent names being mentioned.
Read: Joe Biden announces his COVID-19 task force
Labor: California Labor Secretary Julie Su is high on the list of potential nominees, according to Politico, as is Michigan Rep. Andy Levin, a former union organizer. There’s also been chatter that Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, could get Biden’s nod.
Housing and Urban Development: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who’d also been discussed as a potential Biden running mate, has made a couple of lists, including Vox’s. Its report also names Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
Now see: What a Biden administration will mean for housing-finance reform
State: Susan Rice, national-security adviser to President Barack Obama, is viewed as a leading contender to head the State Department. Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, both Democrats, are other possible choices, as is former Obama Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Opinion: European leaders are eager to deal with Biden after 4 rancorous years.
Defense: Michèle Flournoy, a Pentagon undersecretary during the first Obama term, is an often-mentioned name to head the Defense Department under Biden. Last month, Axios reported that the post could go to Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois or Jeh Johnson, who served as secretary of homeland security under Obama.
Justice: Outgoing Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez all make Politico’s list of potential attorneys general.
