US President-elect Joe Biden has either nominated or named at least 20 Indian Americans, including 13 women, to key positions in his administration, a new record for a community that constitutes one per cent of the country’s population. As many as 17 of them would be part of the powerful White House complex.
The move may have surprised many but it can’t be called completely unexpected as Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris is the first ever Indian-origin and African American to be sworn in as the vice president of the United States.
Topping the list of Indian-Americans in Biden’s administration are Neera Tanden and Dr Vivek Murthy.
Neera Tanden has been nominated as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. The 50-year-old is a Yale law school alumnus and a veteran policymaker who played a key role in framing Obamacare.
Dr Vivek Murthy, has been nominated as the US Surgeon General. The role is not new for him as he has served as the country’s top doctor under the Obama administration as well.
Vanita Gupta has been nominated as Associate Attorney General, the third highest position in US Department of Justice. The 45-year-old had served as the head of civil rights division under the Obama administration
Biden has nominated a former foreign service official Uzra Zeya as the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. Zeya is a career diplomat who quit the State Department in 2018 in protest against Trump’s policies.
Three Indian-Americans have made their way to the crucial National Security Council of the White House. Tarun Chhabra has been named Senior Director for Technology and National Security. He served on the National Security Council staff as director for Strategic Planning during Obama-Biden administration
Sumona Guha will be the Senior Director for South Asia and was special advisor for national security affairs to Biden when he was Vice-President.
Shanthi Kalathil is the third Indian-American in White House’s National Security Council. She has been named Coordinator for Democracy and Human Right.
US National Economic Council in the White House has two Indian-Americans as Deputy Directors - Sameera Fazili and Bharat Ramamurti. Fazili is currently the Economic Agency lead on the Biden-Harris Transition while Ramamurti is a member of the panel setup by US Congress to oversee spending of the financial aid announced by the govt during the Covid pandemic.
Biden’s long-time associate Vinay Reddy has been named Director Speechwriting. He has served as chief speechwriter to Joe Biden when he was the Vice-President.
The number of Indian-Americans in Biden’s administration is likely to increase as the US Presidenct-Elect is yet to fill all positions.