Biden Cabinet members actions and issues


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OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Gina Raimondo: Supports law allowing for late term abortions.     Pete Buttigieg: Offered anti-abortion clinic help away from abortion clinic.

Budget & Economy     Janet Yellen: Does not seek a weaker U.S. currency; let markets determine.     Tom Vilsack: Increased farm subsidies leading to overproduction.     Marcia Fudge: COVID: protect homeowners, renters, small landlords.

Civil Rights     Deb Haaland: Everyone deserves to love without discrimination.     Deb Haaland: I have this wonderful lesbian daughter who I adore.     Deb Haaland: Was Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus.     Cedric Richmond: Expand religious institutions' protection from hate crimes.     Tom Vilsack: Claimed diversity of farmers was accounting change by USDA.     Tom Vilsack: Failed to protect slaughterhouse works, help black farmers.     Tom Vilsack: Apologized for firing black woman over doctored video.     Tom Vilsack: Foreclosed on black farmers six times more than whites.     Tom Vilsack: Pushed for minority voting rights on Farm Service committees.     Pete Buttigieg: Fight racial, economic injustice with transportation policy.     Pete Buttigieg: OpEd: Appointed to Cabinet solely because he's gay.     Xavier Becerra: Protect transgender students and adults.     Marcia Fudge: Ban discrimination against African American hairstyles.     Tom Vilsack: Root out inequities and systemic racism in systems we govern.     Xavier Becerra: For marriage equality; against Defense of Marriage Act.     Xavier Becerra: Racial divisions exploited by our adversaries.     Marty Walsh: Declares racism a public health crisis.     Marty Walsh: Thanked Art Commission for removing Emancipation statue.     Marty Walsh: Sat out parade that barred gay veterans group.

Corporations     Janet Yellen: Investigate retail trading; ensure investors are protected.     Janet Yellen: Worried about insufficient oversight of investment firms.     Janet Yellen: Risks of hedge funds' debt very real and serious.     Tom Vilsack: Problem with corporate concentration at Dairy Export Council.     Tom Vilsack: Urban centers push anti-monopoly measures, not rural places.     Tom Vilsack: Sees multinational corporate agribusiness as partners.     Xavier Becerra: Brought successful antitrust suit against hospital chain.     Tom Vilsack: Tried to increase competition, restrict abusive contracts.     Tom Vilsack: For plan to partially privatize slaughterhouse inspections.     Marcia Fudge: Co-sponsored Dodd-Frank exemption for some corporate trades.

Crime     Merrick Garland: OpEd: deferential to police; lack of accountability.     Xavier Becerra: Committed to combatting sexual violence.     Xavier Becerra: Eliminate bias in policing, reduce unnecessary force.     Merrick Garland: Tends to defer to law enforcement, wartime executive power.     Marcia Fudge: Violent Ferguson police like response to foreign uprisings.

Drugs     Marcia Fudge: End Federal cannabis prohibition, allow states to legalize.

Education     Merrick Garland: Middle school reinforced my sense of community.

Energy & Oil     Janet Yellen: Can't solve climate crisis without effective carbon pricing.     Deb Haaland: Will work to undo fossil fuel development on public lands.     Deb Haaland: Campaigned on climate change, backs Green New Deal.     Jennifer Granholm: Picked for DOE as advocate for clean energy development.     Deb Haaland: Anti-fracking, supports Green New Deal.     John Kerry: Avoid Senate votes on voluntary emissions reductions.     John Kerry: Net carbon neutral by 2050; must lay out path to get there.     John Kerry: Secured agreement to phase down use of super-pollutant HFC.     John Kerry: First on National Security Council to work on climate change.     Cedric Richmond: Staunch ally of state's oil, gas, chemical industries.     Cedric Richmond: Supported fracking, 76% Conservation Voters lifetime rating.     John Kerry: Advised fund setting global price for carbon emissions.     Marty Walsh: Vice chair of Climate-Smart Low-Carbon Cities Summit.

Environment     Tom Vilsack: OpEd: Rule changes harmed processing workers and animals.     Xavier Becerra: Oppose efforts to roll back environmental protections.     Deb Haaland: 30 by 30 goal: conserving 30% of lands and oceans by 2030.     Bill Nelson: From space you can see how we're messing up Earth.

Families & Children     Janet Yellen: Will work every day toward rebuilding American dream.     Antony Blinken: Having young children at home inspires him at State Dept.

Foreign Policy     Lloyd Austin: China most significant challenge going forward.     Antony Blinken: Deeply disturbed by crackdown on protestors in Russia.     Antony Blinken: Challenge of China is complicated; we need strong alliances.     Jennifer Granholm: Long critical of Trump's Russia connections.     Susan Rice: As Rhodes Scholar, urged divesting from South Africa.     John Kerry: Co-founded US-China Climate Change Working Group.

Government Reform     Lloyd Austin: Dismissed members of advisory boards; ordered review.     Merrick Garland: The rule of law is the foundation of our democracy.     Pete Buttigieg: As mayor: ask how USDOT worked rather than make demands.     Deb Haaland: DOI in 1851 threatened extermination; I'm proof he failed.     Tom Vilsack: OpEd: has friendly history with agricultural polluters.     Marcia Fudge: Filed complaint against colleagues sleeping in their offices.     Deb Haaland: Introduced Simplifying Outdoor Access to Recreation Act.     Deb Haaland: Reconciliation in Place Names Act to remove offensive names.     Deb Haaland: Climate Stewardship Act, plant 15 billion trees by 2050.     John Kerry: Won't overstep climate role with State Department.     Xavier Becerra: Made structural changes at California Dept. of Justice.     Susan Rice: Provided in-depth information during Trump transition.

Health Care     Xavier Becerra: Healthcare is a right, will fight for access to all services.     Marcia Fudge: ACA addressed a major need in our nation.     Marcia Fudge: Strong supporter of the Medicare program.     Xavier Becerra: 2016: rescind patents for government funded medicine.     Gina Raimondo: COVID: civil liability immunity for hospitals, nursing homes.     Gina Raimondo: Privatized & cut budgets for Medicaid.     Bill Nelson: COVID: wearing a mask must not be a partisan issue.     Bill Nelson: Medicaid expansion is difference between life or death.

Homeland Security     Deb Haaland: Calls herself a "military brat," parents both veterans.     Pete Buttigieg: Immigrants who enlisted deserve sure path to citizenship.     Lloyd Austin: Can't defend America if enemies are within our own ranks.     Lloyd Austin: Orders Global Posture Review of US military around the world.

Immigration     Xavier Becerra: Support DACA, oppose Muslim ban and family separation.     Marty Walsh: Opposed Trump order on defunding sanctuary cities.     John Kerry: Committed to increasing number of refugees that we take.     Marcia Fudge: Increasing high tech visas could hurt blacks seeking jobs.

Jobs     Marty Walsh: Has a pro-worker vision, support of the AFL-CIO.     Marcia Fudge: Collective bargaining rights a top priority.     Xavier Becerra: Sued Amazon to comply with COVID subpoenas at warehouses.

Principles & Values     Deb Haaland: Scheduled to speak at Navajo Nation virtual day of prayer.     Janet Yellen: Got permission from ethics lawyers before acting.     Antony Blinken: Determined to keep politics out of the State Department.     Janet Yellen: Attended high school named for America's first Treasurer.     Antony Blinken: Stepfather survived Holocaust; rescued by Americans.     Merrick Garland: Parents taught him hard work, community service.     Tom Vilsack: USDA nomination endorsed by American Farm Bureau.     Deb Haaland: Practices the "Seven Generation rule" for future decisions.     Tom Vilsack: Willing to embrace new ideas, initiatives, reforms.     Deb Haaland: Growing up in my mother's Pueblo household made me fierce.     Marcia Fudge: Stop limiting black cabinet members to HUD or Labor.     Marcia Fudge: Skipped Trump's inauguration in protest.     Marcia Fudge: Co-founded a Congressional Rock and Roll Caucus.     Deb Haaland: As Pueblo woman feels connected to the earth.     Marcia Fudge: A Cabinet position is not a consolation prize.     John Kerry: OpEd: Supports "Great Reset" for social & economic issues.     Joe Biden: OpEd: Biden no moderate: highly liberal record.     Mike Pompeo: Denies that Trump undercuts US support for free elections.     Susan Rice: Pitcher at Morehouse College & Congressional Baseball Game.     Bill Nelson: You serve the public; you don't serve yourself.     Merrick Garland: Sold his comics books to help pay for Harvard Law tuition.     Merrick Garland: An "insider's insider" in understanding Dept. of Justice.     Marty Walsh: Put an end to Boston's bid for summer Olympics.     Xavier Becerra: We know true value of diversity; will fight for our beliefs.     Antony Blinken: Talked about refugees to Grover on "Sesame Street".     Jennifer Granholm: Antidote to negativity and pain: service to others.

Social Security     Gina Raimondo: Reformed state pension program, raised retirement age.     Pete Buttigieg: Would establish $90/day benefit for long-term care.

Tax Reform     Janet Yellen: Efficient taxation of multinational companies a priority.     Janet Yellen: Corporations & wealthy need to pay their fair share.     Pete Buttigieg: Move from fuel taxes to mileage fees to fund roads.     Tom Vilsack: One sliver of society isn't going to pay for the rest of us.

Technology     Jennifer Granholm: Advocates for manufacturing, domestic R&D efforts.     Pete Buttigieg: Chaired Automation Task Force of Conference of Mayors.     Deb Haaland: Hailed $165 million for rural broadband in New Mexico.     Deb Haaland: Would park near wi-fi hot spot to do homework with daughter.     Pete Buttigieg: Transportation part of solution to greenhouse gas emissions.

War & Peace     Marcia Fudge: Require Congressional consent for military action in Syria.

Welfare & Poverty     Marcia Fudge: Fought cuts to food stamp program.     Marcia Fudge: Public housing should be a stopping point, not a lifetime.     Marcia Fudge: Introduced a Poverty Bill of Rights.     Marcia Fudge: We have to deal with lack of low, moderate income housing.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Antony Blinken Secretary of State Bill Nelson Florida NASA Administrator Cedric Richmond Louisiana Public Liaison Deb Haaland New Mexico DOI Secretary Gina Raimondo Rhode Island Secretay of Commerce Janet Yellen Treasury Secretary Jennifer Granholm Michigan DOE Secretary Joe Biden Democratic V.P. John Kerry Cabinet Climate Envoy Lloyd Austin Secretary of Defense Marcia Fudge Ohio HUD Secretary Marty Walsh Massachusetts Secretary of Labor Merrick Garland Attorney General Mike Pompeo Kansas Former Secretary of State Pete Buttigieg Indiana DOT Secretary Susan Rice Maine Domestic Policy Tom Vilsack Iowa USDA Secretary Xavier Becerra California HHS Secretary