Biden’s Cabinet Picks, Part 1: Janet Yellen

<p>Janet Yellen, who is poised to become secretary of the Treasury, will immediately have her work cut out for her. The U.S. economy is in a precarious state and Congress is consumed by partisan politics.</p><p>Ms. Yellen, however, is no stranger to crisis. She has already held the government’s other top economic jobs — including chairwoman of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, helping the country through the last major financial emergency.</p><p>Now, facing another steep challenge, we look at the measures she might take to get the economy humming again.</p><p><br /></p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/jeanna-smialek" target="_blank"><strong>Jeanna Smialek</strong></a>, who covers the Federal Reserve and the economy for The New York Times. </p><p><br /></p><p>We want to hear from you. Fill out our survey about The Daily and other shows at: <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedailysurvey?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedailysurvey</a></p><p><br /></p><p>For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. Read the latest edition <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-daily-newsletter?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Ms. Yellen became an economist when few women entered the discipline. She is now<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/business/economy/janet-yellen-treasury-secretary.html" target="_blank"> set to become the first female Treasury secretary</a> and one of the few people ever to have wielded economic power from the White House, the Federal Reserve and the president’s cabinet.</li><li>While she may have excelled at some big jobs in the past, this role<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/upshot/janet-yellen-treasury-challenges.html?searchResultPosition=3" target="_blank"> may be her hardest yet</a>.</li></ul><p><br /></p><p>For more informatio