The latest appointees have already gotten to work at their respective agencies and in just a few days have begun carrying out Biden’s agenda.
Melissa Hoffer, who was named as the Biden EPA’s principal deputy general counsel, has asked lawyers at the Department of Justice to pause cases where Trump administration rollbacks are being challenged by environmental groups.
And a recent Interior Department order that temporarily halted new drilling permits on federal lands, a step toward the Biden campaign promise of ending new public lands leasing, is stirring up mixed reactions.
“It is a team that is exceptionally knowledgeable in the subject areas they are getting hired for. These folks are not going to need a lot of ramp up time,” said Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities.