The President-elect of the United States chose Susan Rice, who was a national security adviser to former President Barack Obama, to head the White House’s domestic policy council.
The choice of Rice, 56, as Biden’s chief domestic policy advisor came as a surprise, given his extensive experience in international relations. In addition to her role as Obama’s national security adviser, Rice previously served as an ambassador to the United Nations.
Rice came to be considered as possible for the role of Secretary of State, but she probably faced fierce opposition from Republicans in Congress because of her role in a controversy over the 2012 deadly attack on the United States mission in Benghazi, Libya. At the time, Rice took on a politically violent confrontation with Republicans.
Biden also chose former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack to serve a second term as secretary of agriculture, after working with Obama; Obama’s White House adviser, Denis McDonough, as secretary of Veterans Affairs; the United States representative Marcia Fudge to head the Department of Housing and Urbanism; and Katherine Tai as the United States Trade Representative.
The choices reflect Biden’s commitment to a diverse government, while demonstrating a desire to reward longtime supporters and veterans of the Obama administration with whom he worked, the US press reports.
The White House’s domestic political post does not require confirmation from the U.S. Senate. Biden ended up choosing longtime advisor Antony Blinken to head the State Department.
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