Biden taps Rice as domestic policy adviser, McDonough for VA

WASHINGTON (AP):

President-elect Joe Biden is naming Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, giving her broad sway over his administration’s approach to immigration, healthcare and racial inequality and elevating the prominence of the position in the West Wing.

The move marks a surprising shift for Rice, a long-time Democratic foreign policy expert who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser and UN ambassador. She worked closely with then Vice-President Biden in those roles and was on his shortlist to become his running mate during the 2020 campaign.

Biden is also nominating Denis McDonough, who was Obama’s White House chief of staff, as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, a sprawling agency that has presented organisational challenges for both parties over the years. But he never served in the armed forces, a fact noted by a leading veterans organisation.

In selecting Rice and McDonough, Biden is continuing to stockpile his administration with prominent members of the Obama administration.

MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE

“The roles they will take on are where the rubber meets the road – where competent and crisis-tested governance can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, enhancing the dignity, equity, security, and prosperity of the day-to-day lives of Americans,” Biden said in a statement.

In choosing Rice to oversee the White House council, advisers said Biden is signalling the importance of domestic policy in his early agenda. Though the council was created with the intention of being on par with the White House National Security Council, it traditionally has had a lower public profile, including for its directors.

NEW POWER CENTRE

Rice is expected to be more of a force, both inside and outside the White House, and her appointment creates a new power centre in the West Wing.

She’s expected to play an active role in the Biden administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Healthcare, immigration and tackling racial inequality are also expected to be among the top issues for the domestic policy shop next year.

The 56-year-old Rice will be among the most prominent Black women in Biden’s administration. Rice was also in the running to become Biden’s running mate before he picked California Senator Kamala Harris.