Posts tagged with "John Kerry as climate czar"

November 24, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden made official his picks for a number of high-level administration and Cabinet positions on Monday, November 23—including tapping former Secretary of State John Kerry to be his special presidential envoy for climate and seasoned diplomat and confidant Antony Blinken as secretary of state, NBC News reports.

Biden also announced his intention to nominate:

• Cuban-American attorney Alejandro Mayorkas—who already has deep experience as a deputy secretary in the Department of Homeland Security (2014-2016)—as his Homeland Security secretary;
• Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a State Department alumna, as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations;  and
• Avril Haines, who held top national security posts under President Barack Obama, as director of national intelligence.

Jake Sullivan, a former Clinton State Department official, will serve as national security adviser.

Mayorkas is the first Latino and immigrant picked to head Homeland Security and Kerry’s position marks the first time that the National Security Council will include an official dedicated to climate change.

“We have no time to lose when it comes to our national security and foreign policy,” Biden said in a statement. “I need a team ready on Day One to help me reclaim America’s seat at the head of the table, rally the world to meet the biggest challenges we face, and advance our security, prosperity, and values. This is the crux of that team.”

Indeed, only 58 days remain until Inauguration Day. Biden is slated to deliver remarks about his leadership picks on Tuesday afternoon. A Biden transition official told NBC News that all Cabinet nominees will join Biden at the announcement in Wilmington, Delaware. The official stressed that the event will follow coronavirus safety protocols, including social distancing.

In a separate statement, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said the individuals “represent the best of America.”

Research contact: @NBCNews