It has almost been three months since President Joe Biden was inaugurated into office and according to CNN, only seven of his 23 Cabinet-level nominees needing approval have been confirmed by the Senate, due to the delay of scheduled confirmations. However, the Senate now has a Democrat majority for the first time in six years, allowing Democrat nominees to be confirmed without needing Republican support. The Cabinet-level members that don’t require Senate confirmation include Kamala Harris as the first Black, South Asian and female Vice President, Ron Klain as the Chief of Staff, and John Kerry as the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. 

The seven nominees already confirmed include Anthony Blinken as Secretary of State, Janet Yellen as the first female Secretary of Treasury, General Lloyd Austin as the first Black person to lead the Pentagon as Secretary of Defense, Pete Buttigieg as the first out LGBTQ+ Cabinet member approved by the Senate as Secretary of Transportation, Denis McDonough as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Alejandro Mayorkas as the first Latino and immigrant to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security and Avril Haynes as the first female National Intelligence Director. 

The other 16 Cabinet-level nominees that have not yet been confirmed are comprised of nine Cabinet members and seven Cabinet-level members. The Cabinet members awaiting confirmation include Merrick Garland as Attorney General, Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior and the first Native American Cabinet secretary, Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture, Gina Raimondo as Secretary of Commerce, Marty Walsh as Secretary of Labor, Xavier Becerra as the first Latino Secretary of Health and Human Services, Marcia Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of Energy and Michael Cardona as Secretary of Education. 

The Cabinet-level members awaiting confirmation include Michael Regan as the first African American Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Neera Tanden as the first woman of color and South Asian Office of Management and Budget Director, Katherine Tai as the first woman of color to serve as the US Trade Representative, Isabel Guzman as Small Business Administrator, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as the UN Ambassador, Cecilia Rouse as the first woman of color to chair the Council of Economic Advisors and Eric Lander as Presidential Science Advisor. 

Biden’s cabinet is bustling with diversity, accomplishing his goal with a myriad of female and non-white nominees. While his cabinet still has a while to go before all his members will be confirmed, the Democrat majority in the Senate should make proceedings go smoother and faster.