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Biden to hold first Cabinet meeting amid infrastructure push

WION Web Team
Washington, DC, United States of AmericaUpdated: Apr 01, 2021, 12:56 PM IST
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US President Joe Biden Photograph:(Reuters)

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The meeting will be held a week after the full Cabinet was confirmed and a day after Biden released his infrastructure plan in Pittsburgh, which will likely dominate Washington through the summer and shape next year’s midterm elections.

US President Joe Biden will convene his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday -- being expected to be used to promote his new infrastructure plan.

The meeting will be held a week after the full Cabinet was confirmed and a day after Biden released his infrastructure plan in Pittsburgh, which will likely dominate Washington through the summer and shape next year’s midterm elections.

The full Cabinet won’t meet in the room that bears its name, instead assembling in the more spacious East Room to allow for social distancing. All attendees, including the president, will wear masks. 

The focus of the meeting will be on how to package the benefits of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that Biden signed into law this month.

All 16 permanent members of the Cabinet -- the vice-president and heads of the executive departments, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin -- will attend in person. So will other Cabinet-ranked officials, including White House chief of staff Ron Klain and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

In all, 25 people will attend, the White House said. For some, it will be their first time meeting other members of the Cabinet, given that the pandemic curtailed inauguration celebrations and other social gatherings.

The White House press pool will be present for Biden’s remarks but probably will be ushered from the room before other speakers begin.