Biden Giving Big Role to a Familiar Face

Joe Biden is bringing a familiar ally back to the White House. Politico reports that he has picked Susan Rice to guide domestic policy. More formally, she will run the White House Domestic Policy Council and thus have a big say in everything from health care to immigration to programs on racial inequity, per the AP. Rice served as national security adviser and UN ambassador in the Obama-Biden White House, and she was vetted as a potential running mate for Biden before he picked Kamala Harris.

"She's not a wallflower," a source tells Axios. "She's going to speak up when she thinks something needs more attention." Her position with the DPC doesn't require Senate confirmation, allowing Biden to avoid a confrontation with Republicans unhappy with Rice over her tenure in the Obama administration. Biden also has settled on another key administration position, nominating Denis McDonough—former White House chief of staff for Obama—to run the Department of Veterans Affairs. One issue likely to be raised by critics: McDonough has never served in the armed forces, notes the AP. (More Susan Rice stories.)