[An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Ernest Moniz had been chosen as Joe Biden’s Energy secretary, when in fact it was Jennifer Granholm.]
Now that the flames of the November election are at last beginning to die down, it’s time to look forward. How a Biden-Harris administration will look depends heavily on the makeup of their cabinet; in terms of both the actions of those appointments and their larger influence on executive policy. The cabinet announcements have followed a predictable direction of former Obama appointees that will firmly stand up… for the interests of the corporations on which they have built their wealth. Much to the ire of many progressives, farmers and minorities, many of Biden’s picks are far from the change they want. Instead, his cabinet will primarily champion a return to the neo-liberal corporatism that was ultimately synonymous with the last Democratic administration.
Biden’s pick for defense secretary, Lloyd J. Austin III, is a retired four-star general and was the first Black commander of CENTCOM (central command). However, the controversy begins with his eligibility; 10 U.S. Code § 113 clearly states that the person appointed as Secretary of Defense has been retired from active duty for at least seven years. General Austin III retired in 2016, and therefore does not meet the requirement, creating the issue at hand. Exceptions for this rule are not unprecedented, and that is exactly the concern of many: that the military will increasingly answer to itself and gain more autonomy, establishing a dangerous new precedent. A similar exception to the rule was made for Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis under Trump, yet he is the antithesis of what our national defense leader should be. Infamously quoted with the all-too-charismatic lines, “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone that you meet” and “It’s quite fun to shoot them, you know. It’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people,”“Mad Dog” definitely earned his nickname. A blood-hungry warhawk was at the very least a worrying pick; not to say that Gen. Austin carries similar concerns, but allowing another exception implies a troubling trend toward a self-regulated military, one separate from the people rather than responsible to them.
Another selection by the Biden administration is Jennifer Granholm for Secretary of the Department of Energy. The former two-term Michigan governor has experience managing large departments, and has worked to enact green policies. Although she definitely holds strong climate views, as Michigan governor she oversaw billions in funding to dozens of unsuccessful green projects and programs. Her tenure has been described as a “parade of failed green energy boondoggles” by Jarett Skorupp, the director of marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan. Unfortunately, this ineptitude is not her only issue, as it was recently uncovered that she and her husband hold several million dollars in corporate interests linked to the energy sector. Granholm sits on the board of directors of Proterra Inc., along with holding at least $1 million of their stock, which focuses on developing and manufacturing green transportation. This kind of direct financial involvement by Granholm in the very sector she is meant to regulate is irresponsible, unethical and damaging to meaningful climate action.
Then there’s the highly contested position of Agriculture Secretary, which in the eyes of many progressives was meant to be Representative Marcia Fudge, but unfortunately for them, is to be Tom Vilsack. Rep. Fudge, a progressive African-American congresswoman, is instead going to be appointed as Housing and Urban Development Secretary, an important position nonetheless, yet almost too consistent with the tokenism typical of that position. In the past, it has been used to file away African-American appointees for the appearance of meaningful representation, an unfortunate trend that the Biden administration is apparently keen on continuing. For leftists and Black farmers, it comes as an unwelcome surprise, especially when examining the record of Vilsack.
Another remnant of the Obama administration, Vilsack served as agriculture secretary for two terms, and before that was the governor of Iowa. However, as secretary, a massive scandal unfolded. A Black USDA employee, Sherrod Shirley, gave a speech to the NAACP on her journey to realizing how the modern day struggle is one of people who have means versus those who don’t, overcoming her own prejudice to exclusively help Black farmers and instead help all farmers. However, a racist smear campaign arose, using disingenuous editing of a video of the speech given by Shirley. Created by far-right and outright racist propagandist Andrew Breitbart, it selected certain aspects of her story to portray her as a white-hating radical, when her speech stated the exact opposite. As a result of the video, Vilsack’s henchmen forced Sherrod to pull over and resign via her phone on the side of the road.
Yet, the tale doesn’t stop there! In his tenure as USDA secretary, he cozied up to Big-Agriculture, and consistently failed Black farmers, going so far as to fabricate statistics that indicated a resurgence of Black farming. Since leaving the Obama administration, he’s been earning just under $1 million a year from the U.S. Dairy Export Council, a major dairy industry group. He failed to enact slaughterhouse workers protections, and according to the founder of Independent Black Farmers, “when it comes to civil rights, the rights of the people, [Vilsack’s] not for that.” Such an appointment is another affront to the coalition that is directly responsible for placing him in the White House.
In contrast, Fudge has fought to boost food stamp programs while serving on the House Agriculture Committee for the past nine years, and was an obvious pick for USDA secretary. Such an appointment would have reassured Black Americans, in particular farmers, that they were going to have a voice in the incoming administration. One of the largest roles of the USDA is providing food stamps, a task often overlooked as many department leaders choose to focus on corporate subsidies for big-agriculture as their primary role. However, Fudge is uniquely suited for the job considering her lengthy agricultural committee experience advocating for and overseeing various nutrition programs. Fudge had previously said she did not want the HUD position, especially since it wasn’t her area of expertise, further frustrating progressives as such outright objection was ignored by Biden.
It’s also somewhat important to note that Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and other high-profile progressives would have been strong unifying choices for cabinet positions, yet it’s all but political certainty that they will receive no such position. Part of that can be attributed to a desire to avoid a political appointment battle by ushering through uncontroversial picks. Unfortunately, that largely means Biden will be betraying a large piece of the coalition that voted him into office with such picks. What’s more, he’s not shy of a political fight when it comes to Defense Secretary, but it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the military-industrial complex is prioritized.
A spot of hope is found in Representative Deb Haaland, who was announced as Biden’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior, an admittedly strong pick, who will also be the first Native American to ever lead the department. Progressive climate group the Sunrise Movement heralded the announced nomination, and Haaland will move toward renewable energy, protecting American wilderness (such as Yellowstone National Park) and tribal lands, and undo Trump’s push to use such lands to increase fossil fuel output. That an appointment as promising as Rep. Haaland is a rare victory, not the norm, is a testament to the direction of this future administration.
The Biden administration has managed to disappoint and betray the same leftist and minority groups that handed him his victory. Aside from confirming the expectations of the Democrats to bring change in name only, it truly is a demonstration of the consistent slighting of the American people as part of larger political calculations and the preservation of the status quo. There are a few bright spots in his cabinet slate, including the aforementioned Rep. Haaland, and the former union leader, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to the position of Labor secretary (although his history with teacher unions and gentrification leaves much to be desired). However, it’s important to not be placated by a select few appointments, and continue to push for the necessary changes Biden was elected to enact, for the protection of our planet and prosperity of the people.
Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr
