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The Lead with Jake Tapper

President-Elect Biden Introduces Cabinet Nominees. Aired 3- 3:30p ET

Aired December 11, 2020 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:00]

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: 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 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 have 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 is 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 rate is too large, too high. Communities of color are left to ask whether they will ever be able to break the cycle, where, in good times, they lag, in bad times, they're hit first and the hardest, and, in recovery, they take the longest to bounce back.

Vice president-elect Harris and I knew we would 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. For secretary of agriculture, I nominate Tom Vilsack, an outstanding

two-term governor of Iowa, the best secretary of agriculture I believe this country has ever had. He was there when the Great Recession was pummelling rural America. Over eight years, he oversaw a record- breaking investment to bring us back.

He implemented the Recovery Act to help rural communities recover and rebuild. Tom helped expand markets around the world for American farmers. He improved our food safety standards. He helped millions of children and families receive healthy meals.

He wasn't anxious to come back. He wasn't looking for this job. But I was persistent.

(LAUGHTER)

BIDEN: And I ask him to serve again in this role because he knows the USDA inside and out, he knows the government inside and out. We need that experience now.

One in six Americans and a quarter, a quarter of the children in America are facing hungry (sic). The opioid crisis in rural America is a rural America crisis, as is a climate crisis, with droughts, floods, wiping out crops in small towns. Farmers and small businesses, small towns, rural communities, white, black, Latino, are reeling from the pandemic and economic downturn.

Tom knows the full range of resources available in this department to get immediate relief to those most in need and address the crises, not one, the crises facing rural America. He knows how to build back better for all Americans. He helped develop my Rural Plan for America in the campaign, and he now has the dubious distinction of having to carry it out. It's a good plan.

That includes making American agriculture the first in the world to achieve net zero emissions and create new sources of income for farmers in the process, by paying farmers to put their land in conservation, plant cover crops, use the soil to capture carbon, and will ensure that USDA promotes true racial equality and inclusion.

He recognizes the history of discrimination and will root it out wherever it exists. I have known Tom for a long time, and I'm confident he will get it done.

For secretary of housing and urban development, I am really pleased to nominate Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, who, I might add, could do many jobs beyond the one I'm asking her to do.

But I think the job I'm asking you to do, Congresswoman, is critically important to everything that the vice president and I believe is how we're going to build back better.

As a former mayor, she understands how to manage challenges and forge solutions at a local level. For 12 years in Congress, she's represented the great city of Cleveland -- you know, though I think of her most significant political feat was being elected president of the Deltas.

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(LAUGHTER)

BIDEN: I know from this state how powerful the Deltas are. You think I'm kidding. I'm not.

She developed an entire career for fighting for working people on issues from affordable housing to urban revitalization. During the Great Recession, her district was hit hard by the housing crisis. She spent the past decade working to improve blighted neighborhoods, create safer, more affordable communities.

She also understands where you live impacts on your health, access to education, jobs, and economic opportunity. Zip code should not determine the outcome on all those issues. She's going to bring that same vision as HUD secretary, using every lever at her disposal to help the millions of Americans facing eviction, trying to pay for their mortgages, find their way through this crisis.

And I think you will see that she's going to lead our charge to make housing more affordable and accessible. She will work to increase homeownership as a means toward wealth generation, particularly for communities of color. It's not just dealing with the other issues. We have to be able to build wealth in communities of color.

And she's also going to help us build back better by working across the ideological spectrum to fulfill the promise of HUD's mission. And here's what its mission is. It's often forgotten, to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality, affordable homes for all -- end of quote.

Marcia will be the first woman to lead HUD in more than 40 years and just the second black woman ever. I'm honored to have her serve and thank her for being willing to do it in the Biden-Harris administration at this critical moment in our nation's history.

And for secretary veterans of affairs, I nominate Denis McDonough, former White House chief of staff, deputy national security adviser, deep experience on Capitol Hill. I have known Denis for a long time. He shares my belief that we have many obligations as a nation, but we have only one truly sacred obligation, to prepare and equip our troops that we send into harm's way and then to care for them and their families when they return.

He regularly traveled, as I did, to Iraq and Afghanistan to meet directly with our service members, to see what they were going through, understand the strain and the impact on them and their families. He would visit them, as I did often, at Walter Reed to see firsthand the visible and invisible wounds they brought home.

He knows the cost of war on veterans and their families, from the toll on their physical and mental health, to the access to good-paying jobs. And he's a fierce advocate and a relentless workhorse. And I believe and I think everyone who has ever worked with him knows he is a world-class manager with an innate understanding for how government can and must work for our veterans.

He worked closely with our then VA Secretary Bob McDonald and with the Congress to increase the VA funding, to ensure veterans to get the benefits they earned and they deserve. And, by the way, he knows we have a very, very steep hill to climb in getting more funding, more docs, more psychiatric nurses, more folks out of the private sector into, into the VA.

That includes implementing Veterans Choice, a bill led by my friend Bernie Sanders and my late friend and American hero John McCain, and signed into law by President Obama in 2014 to help veterans access quality health care that they need when they need it.

And in this role, I have given Denis a clear mission. Fight like hell. Fight like hell for our veterans and their families. And anyone, anyone who has worked with Denis will tell you he will move heaven and earth to fix any problem to get the job done.

He will also work closely with our secretary-designee -- secretary of defense-designee Lloyd Austin and the entire Cabinet as -- and Jill as first lady to pull every lever, every lever to help us build back the VA better than ever.

And Denis, it's a family endeavor. His wife, Kari, leads a nonprofit that helps connect veteran and military families in local -- with local communities, so they can help each other out and build a stronger country together.

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We're both -- both our spouses feel incredibly strongly about this and have for some time. For all the veteran and military families, nominating a VA secretary is one of the most important decisions I believe a president can make. And Denis will always be there for you, I promise you, always fighting for you, as will the vice president and I.

For the United States trade representative, I nominate Katherine Tai, a trusted trade expert, a dedicated public servant who knows government and who spent her career leveling the playing field for American workers and their families. That's not hyperbole. That's a fact. She currently serves as the chief lawyer on trade for the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

She earned praise from both -- lawmakers in both political parties, and from both labor and business as well. Now, that's a feat across the board. But, all kidding aside, you have -- I have gotten more calls complimenting me on your appointment than you can imagine.

During the Obama/Biden administration, she was a chief trade enforcer against unfair trade practices by China, which will be a key priority in a Biden/Harris administration. She understands that we need a more strategic -- to be considerably more strategic than we have been in how we trade, and that makes us all stronger, how we're made stronger by trade, one that leaves nobody behind. She's going to work closely with my economic and national and foreign

policy teams. Trade will be a critical pillar in our ability to build back better and carry out our foreign policy, foreign policy for the middle class. When I announced my candidacy, I talked about a foreign policy for the middle class.

And I meant that in a literal sense. She also brings a sophisticated understanding of the threats of climate change to trade, as well as addresses the climate crisis with urgency. She also embodies a powerful immigration story of America. Her parents were both born in China. They moved to Taiwan and then came to the United States, where Katherine was born.

Her parents became government scientists at Walter Reed and NIH, inspiring their daughter to pursue a career in public service. Katherine says she's the first American-born member of a family and a second-generation U.S. government servant. That's a great way of expressing it.

If confirmed, she would be the first Asian-American and the first woman of color to serve in this position. And our nation, our economy, our workers, our businesses will be fortunate to have her serve in this role.

As director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, I spent some time convincing this wonderful public servant, but we're -- I'm appointing Susan Rice, former United States ambassador to the United Nations, former national security adviser to President Obama, former Cabinet member, team player, policy heavyweight, tough negotiator, trusted and tested public servant, whom I have known for a long time, not only admired, but become friends with.

She will lead and coordinate my critical domestic policy agenda. And she's going to elevate and turbocharge a revitalized Domestic Policy Council to help us build back better on every issue across the board.

She will work closely with my director of National Economic Council, Brian Deese. She will work closely with my national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and the National Security Council. Together, they will align economic policy, foreign policy and national security unlike ever before.

This is a big and critical role. That's why I asked Susan to serve. She's been there. She knows what it takes, like she did in helping mobilize the entire federal government to end the Ebola crisis. And her voice is particularly needed at this critical moment.

A granddaughter of immigrants, a descendent of enslaved people, Susan will be an effective and tireless champion for all Americans. And she knows I'm really thrilled she was willing to come back, be at my side in the White House.

To each of you on this team, you have my gratitude, the gratitude of the vice president and me for answering the call to serve again. To your families, thank you. We know the sacrifice you're making to allow your family member to serve as they are going to, God willing. And to career civil servants at these agencies, we look forward to

working with you, because we know how many talented people are there.

[15:15:05]

It's time to rededicate ourselves to the mission our government agencies were entrusted with. And, to the American people, help is on the way. I promise we're not going to let you down.

May God bless you. and may God protect our troops.

And now I'm going to turn this over to the team, starting with our next secretary of agriculture, Tom Vilsack.

Tom, thank you.

The podium is yours. I guess they are going to clean it off a little bit first.

TOM VILSACK, FORMER U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: Mr. President-Elect, Madam Vice President-elect, I'm honored by the trust you have placed in me to return to the vital work of the USDA at a very critical moment for so many families and communities throughout America, and to begin that work by embracing the full benefits of a diverse and inclusive senior leadership team in the department, as I was proud to do in my previous tenure, and to continue the important work of rooting out inequities and systemic racism in the systems we govern and the programs we lead.

When Abraham Lincoln established the Department of Agriculture, he called it the people's department. I look forward to making good on that moniker for all people as we build back better.

I happen to be celebrating a birthday on Sunday, one of those round numbers that causes you to reflect on your life. Thinking back on the path of my life, where it began in an orphanage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Iowa, where my incredible wife, Christie, and I raised our family and the home we have made there, to standing here today, being given a chance to serve our country once again, I enormously lucky and grateful to live in a country where paths like mine are possible.

A country, as the president-elect often says, is defined by possibilities. But, unfortunately and tragically, not all have experienced those possibilities. So, I consider it my duty and my responsibility to help expand those possibilities for all Americans at the USDA.

Now, I know firsthand the character of the dedicated public servants who work hard each and every day to fulfill the mission of that department, and I'm especially grateful for the chance to get back to work alongside them.

One of our first charges will need to be to contribute all we can as a department to aid in the pandemic response, reviving rural communities and economies, addressing dire food shortages, and getting workers and producers the relief they need to hang on and to come back stronger.

When we emerge from this crisis, we're going to have an incredible opportunity before us to position American agriculture to lead our nation and the world in combating climate change and reaping the new good-paying jobs and farm income that will come from that leadership, to make landmark investments in communities throughout rural America, especially those mired in poverty for far too long, by adopting the 10/20/30 rule of Congressman Jim Clyburn that sets aside 10 percent of federal funding to communities where 20 percent of people have been caught beneath the poverty line for 30 years or more.

And to ensure that every child in our country and all those who are in need, have access to safe, affordable and nutritious food. We need to build back a vibrant and resilient rural economy that creates new possibilities for manufacturing workers, for family forest owners, for farmers, ranchers and producers that helps to make life better and richer for them and safer for all of us.

And under my watch, the USDA will be a team player, working with our sister agencies to advance issues of shared interest, from rebuilding our infrastructure, to fixing a broken immigration system, to combating and fighting the opioid crisis.

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I look forward to pursuing that work on behalf of the American people, and especially those who live, work and raise their families in rural America.

And I will end by expressing my profound gratitude to the president- elect and vice president-elect for this amazing opportunity to serve.

Thank you.

REP. MARCIA FUDGE (D-OH), U.S. HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY NOMINEE: Mr. President-Elect, my good friend Madam Vice President- Elect, to my family, my friends, my sorority sisters, and my constituents, all, I thank you for the opportunity to join this remarkable team and work on behalf of people in every city and community, to serve all those who are struggling and looking for the fair shot we all deserve.

When I think about the enormity of the task ahead of us, I'm reminded of the Book of Matthew, where it is written, foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head.

There is dignity and there is grace within every woman, every man and every child in this nation, including those who live on the outskirts of hope, those who work hard, but still struggle to make it work, and those who have no place to lay their head.

It is one of the highest responsibilities of our government to see them, to see their dignity and to lift them up. I remember the feeling I had as a kid of the safety, security and peace of mind contained in one word, home. I remember the comfort of knowing that, no matter what happened, I

could always go home. But far too many Americans live without that feeling. More and more have had that comfort ripped away, the crisis of a pandemic that has threatened their lives, the crisis of a recession that has swallowed up jobs, hours, wages and lifelines, the crisis of injustice that has forced communities of color to make it in America with one dream tied behind their back.

Each crisis chips away at their hope, at the promise of our nation. But I believe that hope is on the way, because I know that president- elect and vice president-elect are building a team that is grounded in dignity.

And our task at the Department of Housing and Human Development -- Urban Development will be to stand up for the dignity of all Americans and deliver the promise of our nation to all those left out in the cold. We will take on the deep-set roots of poverty and homelessness. We will fight for housing in every community that is affordable, decent and safe.

We will help more Americans secure the dream of homeownership, to close the gaps of inequity, build wealth and pass it on to their children. We will pursue creative development projects to shape our landscapes and skylines, restart the engines of cities that have stalled out, and launch new opportunities in hometowns across America.

But, perhaps most importantly of all, we will help people believe once again that their government cares about them, no matter who they are, that we understand their problems, as the president-elect often recalls his father's words.

I am honored to have this chance to help restore the people's faith, to deliver for them and make them proud, and to build back better alongside this dedicated team.

I thank you for the opportunity to serve.

DENIS MCDONOUGH, U.S. VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY NOMINEE: Mr. President-Elect, Madam Vice President-Elect, I'm deeply humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me and, if confirmed by the Senate, will be honored to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Mr. President-Elect, you have pledged to restore the soul of our nation and to unite us as Americans. In this work, there is a mission that can bring every American together, caring for our nation's veterans and their families.

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As you have said, this is a sacred obligation. And I know it's -- that for you and Dr. Biden, it's also very deeply personal. I have been inspired by veterans in my life as well.

Today I'm thinking of my grandpa McDonough, a Marine, all the troops I met on my visits to Afghanistan and Iraq, and the wounded warriors I spent time with at Walter Reed or showing around the White House. I'm thinking of the many vets I have had the pleasure to serve with in

and out of government who have put the character and training that they developed in uniform to work to continue serving our country as civilians.

I'm also thinking of one of my high school football coaches back in Stillwater, Minnesota, an Iowan, Joe "Sam" Samuelson (ph). He stormed the beaches of Normandy. And in home hospice at the end of his life, he and his family were grateful for the compassion of the VA.

When he passed, his wife gave me his coaching jacket, one of my most prized possessions. Coach Sam's jacket reminds me why we're here. Our men and women in uniform have had our country's back, and when they come home, we need to have their back.

As the president-elect has said, his marching order to me is very clear. Fight like hell for our veterans. We're going to fight like hell to give our veterans and their families the health care, respect, and dignity they deserve.

That means helping our veterans build civilian lives of meaning and opportunity, making our VA even more welcoming to all veterans, including our women veterans, veterans of color, and LGBTQ veterans, and keeping faith with our incredible military families and caregivers, because we need to have their backs too.

To the men and women of the VA, many of you veterans yourselves, you work tirelessly to take care of our veterans, and your demanding jobs have been made even more difficult by the pandemic. To you and to the many dedicated vet service organizations, to include vets, survivors and their families, I look forward to being your partner, one united team, and delivering care and support that's second to none.

Finally, taking care of our veterans is not a job for the VA alone. Every federal department and agency has a role to play. And I will fight like hell to make that happen.

And even though only 1 percent of Americans wear the uniform, under President Biden, every American will be called upon to embrace our responsibility to support our veterans and our military families.

Mr. President-Elect, Madam Vice President-Elect, on behalf of my wife, Kari, and our family, thank you for this opportunity to serve. May God bless our troops, our veterans and their families. And, as a nation, may we always give them our very best, just as they have done for us.

Thanks very much.

KATHERINE TAI, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE NOMINEE: Mr. President- Elect, Madam Vice President-Elect, I'm grateful for this opportunity to serve and look forward to working with you, with our partners across the administration, and with the bright and dedicated public servants at USTR to deliver for the American people.

When the president-elect approached me about taking on this role, two memories from my past sprang to mind. The first was from when I initially joined USTR in 2007. I was filling out paperwork and providing information about my family history.

My parents were born in mainland China and grew up in Taiwan. In the 1960s, President Kennedy's immigration reforms welcomed them to America as graduate students in the sciences. My dad would become a researcher at Walter Reed, helping the Army advance treatments for afflictions that debilitated American G.I.s fighting in the Vietnam War.

My mom still works at the National Institutes of Health, developing treatments for opioid addiction. They were naturalized in 1979.