US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday formally tapped Nigerian-born Wally Adeyemo, a former deputy national security advisor and current president of
US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday formally tapped Nigerian-born Wally Adeyemo, a former deputy national security advisor and current president of the Obama Foundation non-profit, as deputy Treasury secretary. He had previously served in the administration of former president Obama as deputy national security adviser (NSA) for international economics and he is reputed to have helped the US combat the global economic recession of 2008.
Wally Adeyemo would be the first African American to occupy the deputy Treasury secretary position in the United States.
Born in Nigeria, Wally Adeyemo who was raised in Los Angeles County, California, earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley and Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.
On his appointment, Adeyemo tweeted, “Public service is about offering hope through the dark times and making sure that our economy works not just for the wealthy, but for the hard-working people who make it run. As Deputy Treasury Secretary, I look forward to helping us build back our economy better.”
Also, Biden appointed ex-Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen to lead the Treasury, as he named officials to try to revitalize the world’s largest economy.
The United States is struggling with a massive Covid-19 outbreak that’s caused tens of millions of layoffs while sharply slowing annualized growth, and with cases surging again and Congress deadlocked over more aid. If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen, 74, will be the first female Treasury head in its history, and likely be tasked with breaking the deadlock over aid in Washington, should lawmakers not come to an agreement before Biden’s January inauguration.
Other officials announced on Monday include veterans of former president Barack Obama’s administration, several of which the Biden transition team noted would break racial barriers in their positions.
“As we get to work to control the virus, this is the team that will deliver immediate economic relief for the American people during this economic crisis and help us build our economy back better than ever,” Biden said in a statement.
“As we get to work to control the virus, this is the team that will deliver immediate economic relief for the American people during this economic crisis and help us build our economy back better than ever,” Biden said in a statement.
