Biden formally names Blinken, Kerry, Haines, others to join administration

Nov. 24 (UPI) -- President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday formally announced appointments to several top foreign policy and national security posts in his forthcoming administration.

In a speech from Wilmington, Del., Biden thanked the nominees for "accepting this call to service."

"Together, these public servants will restore America globally, its global leadership and its moral leadership," he said, "and will ensure that our service members, diplomats and intelligence professionals can do their jobs free of politics."

Biden was joined on stage by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and his new nominees and appointees, many of whom were previously reported. They were:

-- Anthony Blinken, secretary of state

-- Avril Haines, director of national intelligence

-- John Kerry, special presidential envoy for climate

-- Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of homeland security

-- Jake Sullivan, national security adviser

-- Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations

Speaking at the conclusion of the announcement, Harris said she's "always believed in public service and these Americans embody it."

Kerry's appointment will be the first time a U.S. president has had a climate czar. Biden said the former secretary of state and senator from Massachusetts will be a principal on the national security council.

"For the first time ever, the United States will have a full time climate leader who will participate in ministerial-level meetings," Biden said. "That's a fancy way of saying he'll have a seat at every table around the world."

Kerry, who signed the Paris Agreement on behalf of the Obama administration in 2016, said "failure is not an option" when it comes to combating climate change.

"To end this crisis, the whole world must come together ... All nations must raise ambition together, or we will all fail together," he added.

The formal announcements Tuesday come a day after the General Services Administration ascertained Biden as the winner of the 2020 election, a typically routine move that unlocks millions in federal funds to aid in presidential transitions.

President Donald Trump, though, has still yet to offer a concession -- although his aggressive and almost entirely baseless legal bids to overturn the results of the election are virtually dead.

Michigan and Georgia have already certified their votes for Biden and Pennsylvania did so on Tuesday.

Meet President Joe Biden's top adviser picks

Gen. Lloyd James Austin III

Secretary of Defense. Austin, a former U.S. commander in Iraq, is the first Black leader of the Pentagon. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Peter Buttigieg

Transportation Secretary. The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., Buttigieg would be the first openly gay person in Biden's Cabinet if confirmed by the Senate. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

Avril Haines

Director of National Intelligence. Haines (C) served as deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism and deputy CIA director in the Obama administration. Pool Photo by Joe Raedle/UPI | License Photo

Dr. Anthony Fauci

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci will remain in his current role that he has held in the Trump administration. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo

Jen Psaki

Press Secretary. Psaki has previously served as spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State and held various communications roles in the Obama administration. In her new role, she has vowed to bring "truth and transparency" back to the briefing room. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo

Marty Walsh

Labor Secretary. Former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is a pro-union politician who previously served as the head of the Boston Trades Council. Photo by Ray Stubblebine/UPI | License Photo

Gina Raimondo

Commerce Secretary. Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo was also considered as a potential running mate for Biden, as well as a choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Samantha Power

USAID Chief. Samantha Power (R), who served as President Barack Obama's U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, is nominated to head of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Pool Photo by Anthony Behar/UPI | License Photo

Willliam Burns

CIA Director. William Burns has served in the U.S. State Department through five presidential administrations, including as U.S. ambassador to Jordan under former President Bill Clinton and ambassador to Russia under former President George W. Bush. Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI | License Photo

Merrick Garland

Attorney General. Judge Merrick Garland (L) of the U.S. Court of Appeals was nominated by President Barack Obama to the Supreme Court in 2016 but the Senate refused to hold a confirmation hearing for him. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

Jennifer Granholm

Energy Secretary. The former two-term governor of Michigan advocated for clean energy in her state and helped the Obama administration build the multibillion-dollar bailout of Detroit's' auto manufacturers and pushed for them to invest in electric vehicles. Photo by Ray Stubblebine/UPI | License Photo

Deb Haaland

Interior Secretary. The congresswoman from New Mexico would be the first Native American to serve as the head of the department overseeing natural resources and tribal lands. Photo courtesy of Deb Haaland for Congress/Facebook

Marcia Fudge

Housing and Urban Development Secretary. The Ohio representative would be the first Black woman to lead the department in decades, if confirmed. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

Denis McDonough

Veterans Affairs Secretary. McDonough served as White House chief of staff during President Barack Obama's second term. He has also worked as deputy national security adviser and chief of staff of the National Security Council. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Tom Vilsack

Agriculture Secretary. Vilsack also served in this post from 2009 to 2017. He is a former governor of Iowa. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo

Xavier Becerra

Health and Human Services Secretary. The California attorney general, shown here speaking at the Democratic National Convention in 2016, is the first Latino to be appointed to head HHS. Photo by Ray Stubblebine/UPI | License Photo

Janet Yellen

Treasury Secretary. The former Federal Reserve chairwoman, seen here receiving the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government in 2017, would be the first woman to head the treasury. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Antony Blinken

Secertary of State. Shown at left with Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao in 2015, Blinken served as Biden's national security adviser during the Obama administration. Pool Photo by Andy Wong/UPI | License Photo

Alejandro Mayorkas

Homeland Security Secretary. The former Citizenship and Immigration Services director speaks at a naturalization ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 2010. Mayorkas is the first Latino to be appointed to head DHS. Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI | License Photo

Susan Rice

Domestic Policy Adviser. Rice served as national security adviser and ambassador to the United Nations in the Obama administration. Pool Photo by Andrew Harrer/UPI | License Photo

Dr. Vivek Murthy

Surgeon General. Murthy will return to his role as surgeon general, a job he held during the Obama administration. Photo courtesy of U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions/Wikimedia Commons

Linda Thomas-Greenfield

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Thomas-Greenfield (L) served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs, director-general of the U.S. Foreign Service and U.S. ambassador to Liberia in the Obama administration. Photo courtesy of U.S. State Department

Jake Sullivan

National Security Adviser. Sullivan (2nd L), served as deputy chief of staff to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Photo by Pete Souza/White House

John Kerry

Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Change. The former secretary of state has helped spearhead programming on climate change and oceans for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Ron Klain

Chief of Staff. The former White House ebola response coordinator has been an adviser to Biden for decades. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo

Neera Tanden

Office of Management and Budget Director. Tanden, shown here speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, is president of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

Brian Deese

National Economic Council Director. Deese served as deputy director on the council and the Office of Management and Budget for the Obama administration. Photo courtesy of the Biden-Harris Transition

Cedric Richmond

Office of Public Engagement Director. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., is former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Pool Photo by Patrick Semansky/UPI | License Photo