Biden’s Cabinet likely by next week

Washington, November 21

President-elect Joe Biden is moving quickly to fill out his administration and could name top leaders for his Cabinet as early as next week.

Biden told reporters on Thursday that he’s already decided on who will lead the Treasury Department. That pick, along with his nominee for secretary of state, may be announced before Thanksgiving, according to people close to the transition.

Twitter to GIVE @POTUS to biden on Jan 20

Micro-blogging site Twitter will hand control of the presidential @POTUS account to President-elect Joe Biden the moment he is sworn in on inauguration day on January 20, even if President Donald Trump has not conceded his election loss. @POTUS is the official Twitter account of the President of the US. PTI

The Cabinet announcements could be released in tranches, with groups of nominees focused on a specific top area, like the economy, national security or public health, being announced at once.

Such a move is intended to deliver the message that Biden is intent on preparing for the presidency even as President Donald Trump refuses to concede and attempts to subvert the election results in key states. Trump’s roadblocks have undermined core democratic principles such as the peaceful transfer of power and are especially problematic because Biden will take office in January amid the worst public health crisis in more than a century.

“It’s a huge impact. And each day it gets worse, meaning a week ago, it wasn't that big of a deal. This week, it's starting to get to be a bigger deal. Next week, it’ll be bigger,” said David Marchick, director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service. “Every new day that's lost has a larger impact than the day before.” Still, Biden's transition work is progressing, with the President-elect holding frequent virtual meetings from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and a music venue downtown. At this point, Biden is deeply involved in choosing his Cabinet, a process described by one person as similar to fitting puzzle pieces together. — AP

Wants Congress to pass virus aid in lame-duck session

Wilmington: Joe Biden is pushing Congress to approve billions of dollars in emergency Covid assistance before he takes office, saying at a meeting on Friday with top Democrats in the House and Senate that such a package should be approved during the lame-duck session. Biden held his first in-person meeting since winning the presidential election with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, hosting them at his makeshift transition headquarters in a downtown Wilmington, Delaware, theatre. Biden's new governing team is facing intense pressure to approve another Covid relief Bill and come up with a clear plan to distribute millions of doses of a prospective vaccine. That comes as Biden is just days away from unveiling the first of his Cabinet picks, which are subject to Senate confirmation. AP

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