Biden introduces picks for administration, including agriculture and HUD secretaries

At an event on Friday, President-elect Joe Biden announced more nominees for his Cabinet: Tom Vilsack as secretary of agriculture, Rep. Marcia Fudge as HUD secretary and Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Video Transcript

JOE BIDEN: Now today, I'm really pleased to add members to my team that will get the job done. In addition to the pandemic's grim milestone, the economic crisis has left millions of Americans out of work, without a paycheck, without health insurance, unable to put enough food on the table-- literally unable to put food on the table-- and unsure whether they can pay their rent when the new year begins, or make their mortgage payments.

It's affecting everyone from farmers to students, seniors to veterans, in red states, blue states, small towns, and big cities. And that's why the Congress needs to act and act now on the COVID package. I spoke to my two friends who are still in the Congress, the vice president and the soon-to-be Secretary of HUD. We have to get this done. They're pushing hard, but it doesn't look so good right now. But it has to get done before they go home. Millions and millions of Americans simply can't wait any longer. We shouldn't. We can't get bogged down in issues that don't help people. State and local governments need the help. Not only that, as I've said for months, we need to protect essential personnel, like law enforcement, firefighters, to make sure everything is in place, and effectively distribute the vaccine, so that we can do that.

This relief package won't be the total answer, even if it gets passed. But it's an important first step. There's so much we have to do. These crises have ripped the blinders right off the systemic racism that exists in America. The American people now can see clearly. Black, Latino, Native-Americans, nearly three times more likely to die from COVID, and more likely to get COVID to begin with. Black and Latino unemployment rates, too large, too high. Communities of color are left to ask whether they'll ever be able to break the cycle, where in good times they lag. In bad times, they're hit first and the hardest. And the recovery, they take the longest to bounce back.

Vice President-elect Harris and I knew we'd have our work cut out for us when we got elected. But we also knew we could build a team that would meet this unique and challenging moment in American history. Some are familiar faces. Some are new in their roles. All are facing new circumstances and challenges. That's a good thing. They bring deep experience and bold new thinking. Above all, they know how government should and can work for all Americans.