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Former US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power has been nominated by president-elect Joe Biden to lead US Aid, the government’s top development agency.
Dublin-born Power, an academic at Harvard University, said she felt “immensely fortunate to have the chance to serve again, working with the incredible USAID team to confront Covid-19, climate change, humanitarian crises, and more,” at a critical moment. “As a journalist, activist, and diplomat, I’ve seen the world-changing impact of US Aid.”
Announcing the appointment, Mr Biden described his former colleague in the Obama administration as “a leading voice for humane and principled American engagement in the world.”
“Power will rally the international community and work with our partners to confront the biggest challenges of our time – including Covid-19, climate change, global poverty, and democratic backsliding.”
Ms Power (50) worked as an activist, journalist and author before joining the Obama administration. Her 2003 book, A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, won a Pulitzer prize. As director of US Aid she will also be a member of the National Security Council, led by incoming national security advisor Jake Sullivan.
Ms Power emigrated to the United States from Ireland when she was nine-years-old, first settling in Atlanta, Georgia.
Final picks
Mr Biden, who will be inaugurated as president next week, has been announcing his final administration picks as he prepares to take office. This includes veteran diplomat William Burns who was named as the next head of the CIA this week.
On Wednesday, the Biden team also announced the appointment of vice-president of Irish American Democrats, John McCarthy, to the office of the White House chief of staff.
The Biden team is in behind-the-scene discussions about securing senate approval for key cabinet roles as the Senate prepares for an impeachment trial in the early part of Mr Biden’s presidency.