WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – There are 35 days to go until Inauguration Day and President-elect Joe Biden is wasting no time, making official one more cabinet choice.
As the president-elect is expanding his picks for top jobs in the White House, President Trump is calling on Republicans to help him keep his.
Biden made history by choosing former mayor and Democratic rival Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary. If confirmed, he’d be the nation’s first openly gay cabinet member.
Buttigieg said, “I learned something about some of the limits that exist in this country when it comes to who is allowed to belong,”
At 38, Buttigieg would also be one of the youngest members of a cabinet that Biden promises will reflect the nation it serves.
“A cabinet that taps into the best of America,” Biden opined. “A cabinet that is opening doors and breaking down barriers”
As the incoming president builds his staff, the current president is attacking Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who now accepts Biden’s win and urges his colleagues to do the same.
The president tweeted it is “too soon to give up” and told Republicans they must “learn to fight.”
In fact, members of the lame-duck Congress are looking for common ground, closing in on a $900-billion dollar COVID relief compromise.
Senator McConnell said, “We need to re-up the paycheck protection program to save jobs, we need to continue to provide for laid-off Americans.”
“The stimulus package is encouraging,” Biden said. “It looks like they’re very, very close. And it looks like there’s going to be direct cash payments”
Congress is looking to seal a deal by week’s end and vowed to delay their holiday break until it’s done.
While the president-elect calls the COVID relief deal encouraging, he also refers to it as a “down payment” on what will be needed early next year.
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