WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden on Friday introduced a series of key picks for his new government that drew heavily from the Obama administration, saluting their “deep experience” while insisting he could rely on them for “bold new thinking.”

Appearing with Biden were his choice for director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser and U.N. ambassador; and Denis McDonough, Obama’s White House chief of staff, now nominated as veterans affairs secretary.

His choice for agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, served in the same post for Obama for eight years.

Biden’s selection for housing chief, Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, had been championed by some leading African American members of Congress and civil rights activists for agriculture secretary, in an effort to overhaul how the government combats hunger nationwide. Biden seemed to acknowledge that, saying she could “do many jobs beyond the one I’m asking her to do.”

He was unapologetic in repeatedly noting how long he’d known many of the selections.

“Some are familiar faces. Some are new in their roles. All are facing new circumstances and challenges. That’s a good thing,” Biden said during an event at a theater in downtown Wilmington, Delaware. “They bring deep experience and bold new thinking. Above all, they know how government should and can work for all Americans.”