Biden names acting agency heads as his Cabinet nominees remain unconfirmed
President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced a slate of acting agency heads after taking office without a single one of his Cabinet nominees in place and confirmed by the US Senate.
“These individuals, nearly all of whom are career civil servants, will temporarily lead federal agencies while Cabinet nominees continue moving through the confirmation process,” White House officials said in a statement.
The Biden team had previously declined to publicly announce the officials who would take over departments in a temporary capacity because of concerns the Trump administration could attempt to thwart or complicate their work.
White House correspondent Peter Doocy reports on the President Joe Biden s speech and agenda on day one of the new administration.
President Biden unveiled a list of officials on Wednesday who will serve as the interim heads of government agencies in the early days of his administration.
The officials will run their respective agencies until Biden’s slate of nominees can be vetted and approved in the Senate. Some officials, such as Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, Biden’s choice to serve as secretary of defense, have already appeared before the Senate, while others are slated to do so in the coming days.
The move allows Biden to install members of his own team rather than rely on any of former President Donald Trump s political appointees left within the federal government after Jan. 20.
Nearly two dozen career civil servants have been named by the Biden administration to temporarily lead the nation's federal agencies in the next phase of the transition of government.