The United States President’s Cabinet has always held the imperative role of advising him. Looking at Biden’s Cabinet, one can see that it is the most diverse in our country’s history. This will be a strong indication for the next four years. 

Biden has spent his first three months in office promising to defeat climate change and the pandemic. Without a doubt, he has appointed very reputable people to lead each section, notably Deb Haaland, the first Native American Secretary of the Interior, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, who was the first black person to lead the Pentagon. 

Overall, each person will bring a unique view to the table as Americans watch them uphold their roles. So please take the time to meet each cabinet member. 

Kamala Harris

Harris has broken barriers as not only the first woman vice president but the first Black and South Asian vice president.  She formerly held the position of the attorney general of California from 2011 through 2017 and United States senator from California from 2017 through 2021. She was born and raised in Oakland, California, and graduated from Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of the Law.

Antony Blinken

In the past, Blinken held the position of deputy secretary of state, assistant to the president, and principal deputy national security adviser in the Obama administration. He also served as the national security adviser to Biden from 2008 to 2016 when he was vice president. From 2008 to 2012 he was the deputy assistant during Obama’s first term.

 Janet Yellen

Much like Harris, Yellen has broken barriers. She is the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. This is not the first time she made history. She was also the first woman to have chaired the Federal Reserve. In addition, she served as the vice-chair of the board, and president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. From 1997 to 1999, Yellen was the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

Gen. Lloyd Austin

Gen. Austin is the first Black person to lead the Pentagon. Austin retired from active-duty service only four years ago. Prior to his retirement, he rose to the rank of army general and served as the commander of the US Central Command. He is a unique case because there is a rule that the secretary of defense must have spent 7 years retired from active duty before taking on the role.

Merrick Garland

During President Obama’s second term, Garland was nominated to fill a vacancy in the Supreme Court. This was blockaded by the Republican party, most notably Mitch McConnell. Garland has served in many high governmental positions. In 1977 he was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In addition, he has previously held the position of associate deputy attorney general. 

Deb Haaland

Haaland has broken barriers all through her career. In 2018 she was one of the two first Native American Women in Congress. Prior to that, she has been outspoken about Native American rights. In 2016 she protested in North Dakota to stop the Standing Rock Reservation pipeline. She will take initiative to protect Native Americans and begin environmental policies.

Tom Vilsack

Biden has brought back Vislack who has served as agriculture secretary for both of Obama’s terms. From 1999 until 2007, he was the governor of Iowa. Back in 2006 he announced his run for president but dropped out on February 23, 2007. He has also been a part of the food industry as CEO of the US Dairy Exports Council. 

Gina Raimondo

Most recently, she served as the 75th governor of Rhode Island and the first woman to be elected for that position. When elected in 2015, she had her work cut out for. Rhode Island’s unemployment rates were the highest ever. She took initiative by raising the minimum wage, creating sick-leave entitlement, and financing huge infrastructure programs. She emphasized access for the people and made community college tuition-free.

Marty Walsch

Walsch was elected as the 54th mayor of Boston in 2014. He resigned in 2021 when he took the role of Secretary of Labor. In the past, he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the Thirteenth Suffolk district from 1997 to 2014. He is also the final member of Biden’s Cabinet to be confirmed. 

Xavier Becerra

Becerra is the very first Latino to hold this position. He formally served as the first Latino attorney general of California. While in the role of California’s attorney general, he defended the Affordable Care Act in court. He also served twelve terms as a member of the US House of Representatives. He is Californian-born and raised by two working-class parents.

Marcia Fudge

Before taking the position, she was in the 11th Ohio congressional district. She is the first African American woman to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Previously, Patricia Roberts Harris held the position but left the office in 1979. Fudge was also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 113th Congress. Later, she almost ran for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives during the 116th Congress, but eventually backed Nancy Pelosi instead. 

Pete Buttigieg

Buttigieg is the first LGBTQ Cabinet secretary to be approved by the Senate. He was also the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. At 38 years old, he has made history as the youngest member nominated for Biden’s Cabinet. He even rose to national prominence as a presidential candidate during the 2020 Democratic primary.

Jeniffer Granholm

Granholm served two terms as the 47th governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011, and was the first woman to serve as Michigan’s Attorney General.  She is a Canadian-American politician, lawyer, educator, author, and political commentator born in Vancouver, Canada. Currently, she is piloting Biden’s emphasis on electric vehicles. 

Miguel Cardona

A Puerto Rican-American whose parents migrated to Connecticut, Cardona is a high-profile Latino. As a member of Biden’s Cabinet, Cardona is working to send children back to school. Before being confirmed to the position, he was Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education.

Denis McDonough

During Obama’s second term, McDonough served as Chief of Staff and worked closely with the deputy national security adviser. He chaired the National Security Council’s Deputies Committee, formulated the administration’s national security, and has also worked with foreign policy. Previously, he served as Chief of Staff for the national security staff and as the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. 

Alejandro Mayorkas

Mayorkas is an American lawyer and government official. He is the the first Latino and immigrant to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, a role he also held in Obama’s presidency. He was also the director of Homeland Security the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service. In addition, he led the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which was one of Obama’s executive actions. He worked under Obama to protect young undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children.