US President-elect Joe Biden has named ex-Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen as his nominee for treasury secretary.
If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first woman ever to hold the post.
She was among several women chosen for top economic positions. The Biden transition team said others were set to break racial barriers if confirmed.
Mr. Biden has pledged to build a diverse administration. He earlier appointed an all-female senior press team.
His transition team said his picks for senior economic roles would help “lift America out of the current economic downturn and build back better.”
Mr. Biden has also announced the formation of a Presidential Inaugural Committee ahead of his swearing-in on 20 January. The committee will be responsible for organising inauguration-related activities.
Also on Monday, Mr. Biden got his first look at the daily presidential intelligence briefing as president-elect. The overview of national security threats to the US is usually offered as a courtesy to incoming White House administrations, but was initially withheld as Mr. Trump refused to concede victory.
In a tweet following Monday’s announcement, Ms. Yellen said: “We face great challenges as a country right now. To recover, we must restore the American dream – a society where each person can rise to their potential and dream even bigger for their children.
“As Treasury Secretary, I will work every day towards rebuilding that dream for all.”
President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde praised Mr. Biden’s choice, writing in a tweet: “Her intelligence, tenacity and calm approach make Janet a trailblazer for women everywhere.”
Republican Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Chuck Grassley said that he expects Ms. Yellen to “get a favourable view” during confirmation hearings before his committee.
What about the other names?
Biden transition officials said the senior economic team is set to include “several historic trailblazers”.
Picks include former Obama administration official Wally Adeyemo as deputy treasury secretary and economist Cecilia Rouse as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. If confirmed, Mr. Biden’s team said both would be the first African Americans in those roles.
Mr. Biden will nominate Neera Tanden, who worked with the Obama administration on the creation of Obamacare, to head the Office of Management and Budget. If confirmed, she would be the first woman of colour and first South Asian American to lead the agency.
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But she is likely to be at the centre of the hardest confirmation fight in the Senate.
Critics have found tweets by her from four years ago, in which she appeared to stoke debunked conspiracy theories that Russian hackers changed votes in the 2016 election in favour of Mr Trump.
On Monday, the Biden campaign also trumpeted its all-female press team, prompting the Trump White House to point out that its press team has been led by women since 2017, even if some of the lower-level aides are men.
What’s the latest with the election aftermath?
Monday’s nominations came as Arizona and Wisconsin officially certified Mr. Biden’s victory.
President Donald Trump is expected to issue legal challenges to the vote in both states.
At the Trump campaign’s request, a second recount is due to be completed by Wednesday in another state where Mr. Biden was declared the winner, Georgia.
On Monday, Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said those trying to overturn the election results in the state were “dishonest actors” spreading “massive amounts of disinformation.”
He added: “There are those who are exploiting the emotions of many Trump supporters with fantastic claims, half-truths, misinformation and, frankly, they’re misleading the president as well, apparently.”
The Trump campaign is also mounting legal challenges to Mr. Biden’s victories in Michigan and Nevada.
The campaign has seen other lawsuits it filed dismissed in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan.
