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US President Joe Biden will arrange his first Cabinet Meeting on Thursday and it will be used to promote his new infrastructure plan. This cabinet meeting will look very different from those held by his predecessor. The full Cabinet won’t meet in the room that bears its name, instead of assembling in the more spacious East Room to allow for social distancing. All cabinet members including President Biden will also wear masks. The meeting probably will not include the over-the-top tributes to the chief executive that came to define Cabinet meetings held by President Donald Trump. The first cabinet meeting will take place a week after the full Cabinet was confirmed and a day after Biden was poised to release his infrastructure plan in Pittsburgh. The focus of the meeting will be on how the package can help across government.

The former officials said the cabinet meeting in the modern era is less about setting administration policy than ensuring that all the government agencies are on the same page. The sessions also are an opportunity for the president to make his priorities and values clear. Policy debates are generally reserved for smaller, subject-specific gatherings of Cabinet officials and senior advisers, such as the National Security Council and the Domestic Policy Council. Former President Barak Obama’s cabinet secretary, Chris Lu said, “As the federal government has become increasingly complex over the years, the role of the Cabinet has evolved as well. Cabinet meetings are an opportunity for the president to lay out broad directions for how his team should operate in addition to serious policy discussions”.

Lu added, “The meetings can help align priorities, build morale, and allow Cabinet members to develop relationships with colleagues who they don’t normally see”. It is noteworthy that all 16 permanent members of the Cabinet, the vice president, and heads of the executive departments will attend in person, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. Other Cabinet-ranked officials, including White House chief of staff Ron Klain, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Acting budget head Shalanda Young will attend the meeting. President Biden is also awaiting the confirmation of Eric Lander to be the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The White House has highlighted that this Cabinet is the most diverse in history.