Biden appears to be pouring cold water on Warren and Sanders joining Cabinet

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Biden told NBC in an interview that aired Tuesday night that there was already “significant representation among progressives in our administration,” but said “there was nothing really off the table.”

“But one thing is really critical: Getting someone out of the Senate, removing someone from the House (of Representatives), especially an important person, is really a tough decision that should be made,” Biden said. “I have a very ambitious and very progressive agenda, and it will take very strong leaders in the House and the Senate to make it happen.”

Biden said he was ready to consider nominating a Republican who voted for President Donald Trump to a place in his administration, saying, “I want this country to be united. The goal of our administration is, once moreover, to unite. We cannot continue this virulent political dialogue. It must end. ”

The comments are likely to discourage those on the left who want to see Biden appoint progressive champions to prominent roles in his administration.

Sanders recently launched a campaign to become a labor secretary in Biden’s cabinet and has sought support from key union leaders, CNN reported. In a particularly direct comment to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer earlier this month, the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist said he would accept the nomination if offered to him. “If I had a portfolio that allowed me to fight for working families, would I do it? Yes, I would,” Sanders said.
Warren has been a progressive frontrunner to lead the Treasury Department, but CNN reported this week that Biden would choose Janet Yellen, former Federal Reserve Chairperson, as Treasury Secretary. Warren hailed Yellen as an “outstanding choice for Treasury Secretary” in a tweet Monday, describing her as “smart, tough and reasoned” and “one of the most successful Fed chairmen of all time.”

“I look forward to working with Secretary Yellen to strengthen our economy, tackle inequality and protect consumers,” Warren wrote in a second tweet.

If Biden excludes elected lawmakers, it wouldn’t just affect top names like Warren and Sanders. Michigan Rep. Andy Levin has been endorsed by a number of unions as a candidate to lead the Labor Department, and Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge has support in some quarters for being the next agriculture secretary. Both would see their way to Cabinet positions interrupted by a de facto ban on appointments to the ranks of Congress.

Warren and Sanders are both from states with Republican governors, which means that if they leave the Senate to join the administration, the governors have the power to nominate Republicans to hold their seats until a special election. . But Vermont Gov. Phil Scott suggested he would take the seat with an independent who would caucus with Democrats, as Sanders does.

Republicans currently control the Senate by a razor thin margin, but Senate control will be determined by two polls in Georgia in early January.

Whether Republicans retain control of the Senate could affect who Biden appoints and who is confirmed by a majority vote. Warren and Sanders are stars of the progressive left and might struggle to win votes from Republicans or even a few moderate Democrats.

Biden has already announced several senior White House officials and Cabinet-level positions as he continues to develop his administration. His first announcement that Ron Klain would serve as the White House chief of staff was hailed by establishment Democrats and party progressives. Warren called Klain a “superb choice” who “won the trust of the entire Democratic Party”, and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Klain’s selection was “good news and an encouraging choice. “.
On Tuesday, Biden introduced six key members of his national security and foreign policy teams, and each of his nominees and candidates delivered remarks at an event in Wilmington, Delaware. He appointed Antony Blinken as his choice for Secretary of State, Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary for Homeland Security, Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as US Ambassador to the United Nations, Jake Sullivan as Security Advisor and John Kerry as Special Presidential Climate Envoy. Blinken, Mayorkas, Haines and Thomas-Greenfield will need Senate confirmation, but not Sullivan and Kerry.

The president-elect and his transitional team have moved forward despite roadblocks put in place by the Trump administration. Trump refused to concede the election, which Biden decisively won, and has made repeated false claims about election rigging and widespread voter fraud. But after weeks of projecting the winner of the election, Biden’s team was informed on Tuesday that the General Service administration informed Biden that the Trump administration was ready to begin the formal transition process.

CNN’s Greg Krieg contributed to this report.

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