It's Official: Solis, Kirk, LaHood Join Cabinet

Barack Obama announced his final Cabinet choices today, making official what insiders have hinted at for a week, the Washington Post reports. Hilda Solis will be the nominee for labor secretary, Ron Kirk for trade representative, and Republican Ray LaHood for transportation. Solis appears to be the lightning rod, as union officials praised the appointment and foes said she would “toe the line for union bosses.”

Obama said today that he had completed his economic team “at an earlier point than any president in history,” Politico notes. He will soon depart for his pre-inaugural Hawaiian vacation. Obama also nominated Karen Gordon Mills for the top spot at the Small Business Administration. (More President Obama stories.)