Ballotpedia's Weekly Transition Tracker - December 11, 2020
December 11, 2020
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This week's developments on the Presidential transition process.  Welcome to the weekly Transition TrackerDecember 11, 2020Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) is the projected winner of the 2020 presidential election. The Electoral College will meet on December 14, 2020, to vote for the next president of the United States. 
Joe Biden's Cabinet Appointments and Nominations (Health)Biden announced key health and COVID-19 positions in his administration on Monday. Xavier Becerra, secretary of health and human servicesBecerra is the attorney general of California. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 terms, where he was a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Social Security, and chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Vivek Murthy, U.S. surgeon generalMurthy previously served as U.S. surgeon general during the Obama administration from 2014 to 2017 after being confirmed 51-43 by the U.S. Senate. He is a physician and former vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionWalensky is the chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, where her research has focused on HIV/AIDS. Biden also announced the following four positions:
Appointments and Nominations (Defense)Lloyd Austin III, secretary of defenseBiden formally announced retired Gen. Lloyd Austin III as his nominee for secretary of defense on Tuesday. Biden also wrote an op-ed in The Atlantic about his selection. Austin began his military service in 1975 as an infantry second lieutenant and advanced to a four-star general. He was involved in several major operations, including Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn. He served as commander of the U.S. Central Command from 2013 to 2016, where he led the campaign against the Islamic State. If nominated, Austin would require a congressional waiver to serve as secretary of defense. Federal law prohibits a commissioned officer from filling this position if he or she is appointed within seven years of active duty. Gen. Jim Mattis received this waiver in 2017 by a vote of 81-17 in the Senate and 268-151 in the House. Three Democratic senators said they would not support a waiver for Austin: Richard Blumenthal (Ct.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Jon Tester (Mont.). If confirmed, Austin will be the first Black secretary of defense in U.S. history. Appointments and Nominations (Domestic)Biden also announced five key administration appointments on Thursday: Susan Rice for director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and four Cabinet-level positions. Tom Vilsack, secretary of agricultureTom Vilsack previously served as secretary of agriculture during the Obama administration for eight years. He was confirmed by unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate in 2009. Vilsack was also the chairman of the White House Rural Council and the 40th governor of Iowa. Marcia Fudge, secretary of housing and urban developmentRep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) has served in Congress since 2008. She is a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus and has served on the committees for house administration, agriculture, and education and labor. Fudge’s district, Ohio's 11th, is rated Safe Democratic. House vacancies are filled by special elections. Denis McDonough, secretary of veterans affairsDenis McDonough held several roles in the Obama White House, including as chief of staff from 2013 to 2017 and principal deputy national security advisor from 2010 to 2013. He worked in the U.S. House of Representatives in policy and leadership positions, including as a professional staff member on the International Relations Committee. If confirmed, he would be the second non-veteran in this office. Katherine Tai, U.S. trade representativeKatherine Tai is the chief trade counsel to the chairman and Democratic members of the House Committee on Ways and Means. She served as associate general counsel and chief counsel for China trade enforcement at the Office of the United States Trade Representative. She previously practiced law in Washington, D.C., with a focus on international trade issues.
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Transition in Context: What is an agency review team?Agency review teams are established by incoming administrations to evaluate the current operations, budgets, and regulations of federal agencies, commissions, and councils. They help support the transition between administrations. The Biden Transition’s agency review teams are primarily volunteers. There are also a few full-time employees hired by the transition and detailees funded by the General Services Administration.
Transition in Context: Timing of AnnouncementsTransition in Context: What does the vice president do?The vice president has two constitutionally established duties: to succeed the president of the United States if he or she dies, resigns, or is removed, and to serve as president of the Senate. Nine vice presidents have become president by succession: John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Gerald Ford. As president of the Senate, a vice president also casts the tie-breaking vote if the Senate is deadlocked. Vice President Mike Pence (R) has done so 13 times during the Trump administration. Biden cast none while vice president. John C. Calhoun set the record for the most tie-breaking votes with 31. Vice presidential historian and professor Joel Goldstein said the vice presidency became more robust in the 20th century. He said, “Whereas the vice president’s role previously had been to be one heartbeat away in case something happened to the president, beginning with Vice President Mondale, the vice president’s principal role became not to be a presidential successor but to try and help the president succeed in effectively governing the United States of America.” Transition in Context: Do Cabinet members become president?The following chart shows the highest position held by each president before he assumed office. While some presidents have served in several roles throughout their career, including being members of the U.S. House or U.S. Senate, we’re looking at the top-ranking office for each. Six presidents were Cabinet members, but the last one to be elected was Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover in 1928. Four of the other five were secretaries of state. The vice presidency and governorships are the most frequent direct steppingstones to the presidency. Transition in Context: In Their Words...Here’s how Democratic and Republican leaders, advisers, and stakeholders have reacted to the nomination of Denis McDonough for secretary of veterans affairs.
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