President-elect Joe Biden is expected to appoint Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo as trade secretary, two people familiar with the matter say in a round of cabinet positions that may be announced Friday.
Raimondo is the first female governor of Rhode Island and has held this role since her election in 2014. She was among the women believed to be Vice President of Biden and has been commended for her leadership role amid the coronavirus pandemic.
She is currently in quarantine after a close contact tested positive for Covid-19. However, this is expected to end on Friday. Like other nominees around Biden, she would have to test negative to attend an announcement event with him.
At the same time as the Trade Secretary, Biden plans to introduce executives for the Department of Labor and Small Business Administration.
Biden is expected to enlist Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as labor secretary, two sources familiar with the decision, report CNN. The president-elect is also expected to add Isabel Guzman to head the Small Business Administration, two sources familiar with the decision.
Guzman is currently the director of the California office of the Small Business Advocate, a government office that seeks assistance and small business growth begins in America’s most populous state. Prior to assuming the state office, Guzman was the assistant chief of staff and senior advisor to the US Small Business Administration, the office she will now lead.
Biden is expected to rely on his trade secretary to help establish relationships with a Rebuilding the business world that sometimes had a broken relationship with the Trump White House. While the Republican president has often touted corporate support, pro-business groups like the Chamber of Commerce have often criticized Trump.
Prior to serving as governor, Raimondo was elected Treasurer General of Rhode Island in 2010. She co-founded Point Judith Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm.
Raimondo was also a candidate for Secretary of Health and Human Services, CNN previously reported, but Biden nominated California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for the position / p> Before Biden announced Becerra as his election, Raimondo said at a press conference that she would not be Biden’s HHS secretary and that her focus was on her duties in her home state. The New York Times reported earlier this month that unions helped prevent Raimondo from becoming Biden’s choice to lead HHS based on their records of pension changes.
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According to The Boston Globe, Raimondo has spent much of her time as governor promoting economic development and reducing the state’s employment rate. She overhauled the state’s Economic Development Bureau and had legislature approve programs that, according to the Globe, enabled millions of dollars in tax incentives for companies moving to Rhode Island.
Raimondo was the first governor to accept the offer from the Democratic President of New York supported Michael Bloomberg for 2020 and joined his campaign as national co-chair. She later supported Biden’s offer for the presidency after Bloomberg abandoned the race.
Ref: https://www.mercurynews.com
