On Monday, January 18, President-elect Joe Biden announced that he was naming Andrea Palm, Secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and a member of Governor Tony Evers’ cabinet, to be Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services in Biden’s cabinet. Palm will be reporting to Xavier Becerra, who is leaving his post as California’s Attorney General to become Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Palm held a number of positions at HHS under the Obama administration.
The announcement was posted to the Biden Transition website, under the headline, “President-elect Biden Announces Additional Key Administration Posts.”
“Today, President-elect Joe Biden announced a number of key administration posts: Elizabeth Klein, Deputy Secretary of the Interior; Dr. Jewel Bronaugh, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; Andrea Palm, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services; Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation; Cindy Marten, Deputy Secretary of Education; Rohit Chopra, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB); and Gary Gensler, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These experienced public servants will lead with compassion, integrity, and character to make our government work for all Americans,” the announcement read.
And it quoted Biden as stating that “Our administration will hit the ground running to deliver immediate, urgent relief to Americans; confront the overlapping crises of COVID-19, the historic economic downturn, systemic racism and inequality, and the climate crisis; and get this government working for the people it serves. These tireless public servants will be a key part of our agenda to build back better — and I am confident they will help make meaningful change and move our country forward.”
The announcement quoted Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as stating, “To meet the unprecedented challenges facing the American people, we will need deeply experienced and knowledgeable leaders across our administration. These remarkable public servants reflect the very best of our nation, and they will help us contain this pandemic, create an economy that works for working people, and rebuild our country in a way that lifts up all Americans. President-elect Biden and I look forward to working with them to deliver results for the American people.”
Of Palm, the announcement stated that “Andrea Palm is Secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), overseeing one of the largest state agencies as a member of Governor Tony Evers’ cabinet. In this role, she has responsibility for the state’s Medicaid program, its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and behavioral health programs, among others. Palm has been leading the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, Palm held a number of policy and operational roles in the Obama-Biden Administration at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including Acting Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to the Secretary. During her eight-year tenure, she worked on a variety of Administration priorities, including the Affordable Care Act, as well as providing leadership for the Department’s work to combat the opioid epidemic. Palm was born and raised in rural upstate New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis.”
Regarding her tenure in Wisconsin state government, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Mary Spicuzza wrote on Jan. 18 that “Palm has led the state agency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, although Republicans who control the Senate have refused to vote to confirm her as DHS secretary. They also threatened to fire her, angered by her and Evers' efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic — including Wisconsin's stay-at-home order, which was struck down by the state Supreme Court. Palm will have the number two spot at a key agency for Biden, who has pledged to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines — and deploy the National Guard to get more shots into arms — to accelerate the nation's stumbling vaccine rollout. Karen Timberlake, who served as DHS secretary under former Gov. Jim Doyle during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, will serve as interim secretary, Evers said.”
Gov. Evers released a statement on Jan. 18. “Andrea Palm is a public servant through and through—she's been a critical part of our administration and a consummate professional who has done an extraordinary job helping lead our state during an unprecedented public health crisis,” Gov. Evers said. “I know she will continue to serve our country just as she has our state—with empathy, kindness, and tenacity. I wish her our very best as she leaves us to take this new opportunity.”
Writing of the appointments of Palm and the others, the Washington Post’s Lisa Rein wrote on Jan. 18 that “Deputies at large federal departments often have crucial responsibility for managing day-to-day operations in their sprawling organizations. The deputy has traditionally functioned as the leader who holds things together while the secretary travels or acts as the agency’s better-known figurehead. That may be particularly true when the secretary is a political figure, like Pete Buttigieg at Transportation or Xavier Becerra at HHS, who has not devoted his career to mastering the policy details that are the department’s focus. Palm, at HHS, would bring experience overseeing one of the largest state health agencies, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. HHS will be among the most visible Cabinet agencies as it rolls out a strategy to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Palm held a number of roles at HHS in the Obama era, including as acting assistant secretary for legislation, chief of staff and senior counselor to the secretary. She worked on the Affordable Care Act and helped lead efforts to the fight the opioid epidemic.”
