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| California Attorney General Xavier Becerra nominated to head Health and Human Services as AAPI leaders patience is wearing thin. |
Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus met Monday (Dec. 7) with the Biden-Harris transition team to express their concern about adequate representation in the incoming Biden administration.
Biden is under increasing pressure from groups that feel that Blacks, Hispanics and Asians are not being appointed to premiere positions in the incoming administration.
Thus far, the only Asian Americans -- Neera Tandem and Vivek Murthy have been nominated for Office of Management and Budget director and Surgeon General. respectively -- have been nominated. While these are important. roles, they are considered not in the top tier.
“Look, it’s each one of these groups’ jobs to push their leaders to make sure there’s a greater diversity,” Biden said at a news conference Friday. “What I can promise you is when this is all said and done, you see everyone that I’ve announced – and it was going to be in the next several weeks, we’ll have it all out there – you’re going to see significant diversity. I’m not going to tell you now exactly what I’m going to do in any department, but I promise you it will be the single most diverse Cabinet based on race, color, based on gender, that’s ever existed in the United States of America.”
As if to underscore his commitment to diversity, on Friday Biden announced that retired General Lloyd Austin, an African American, is his nominee for Secretary of Defense.
On Monday, Biden followed up by naming a Latino, Xavier Becerra, California's Attorney General, to head Health & Human Services, which will be in the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus.
Two weeks ago, Alejandro Mayorkas, a Cuban American, was picked to head the Department of Homeland Security.
Both Defense, HHS, and DHS are considered top-level positions.
Last week, Biden nominated Cecilia Rouse, a Black woman, to chair the Council of Economic Advisers, a position which the President-elect announced will elevate to the Cabinet level.
Meanwhile, while CAPAC met with the transition team on Monday, leaders of civil rights organizations plan to meet today (Dec. 9) with Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to also discuss how to increase diversity in the appointments to Cabinet-level seats and other top administration posts.
Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League, said he and leaders of other civil rights organizations will discuss racial equity and social justice with Biden and Harris.
Two weeks ago, Alejandro Mayorkas, a Cuban American, was picked to head the Department of Homeland Security.
Both Defense, HHS, and DHS are considered top-level positions.
Last week, Biden nominated Cecilia Rouse, a Black woman, to chair the Council of Economic Advisers, a position which the President-elect announced will elevate to the Cabinet level.
Meanwhile, while CAPAC met with the transition team on Monday, leaders of civil rights organizations plan to meet today (Dec. 9) with Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to also discuss how to increase diversity in the appointments to Cabinet-level seats and other top administration posts.
Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League, said he and leaders of other civil rights organizations will discuss racial equity and social justice with Biden and Harris.
The high-powered civil rights groups included the National Action Network, NAACP, National Urban League, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Despite having one of their own members, Kamala Harris, as Vice President-elect, the meeting with CAPAC members apparently didn't extract any concrete results, but their concerns were noted. "I appreciate the time they took to speak with our members on several important priorities for our caucus and the broader AAPI community," said Rep. Judy Chu, chair of CAPAC.
"In the meeting, we highlighted how excited we are that one of our very own CAPAC Members, Kamala Harris, will be the first woman, first Asian American, and first Black Vice President in our nation’s history. We also discussed the critical need to ensure that AAPIs are well represented throughout the entire Biden-Harris Administration, particularly in the Cabinet and other senior roles.
CAPAC members also raised important policy priorities, such as the need to address the disproportionate health and economic impacts of COVID-19 on AAPIs, concerns over growing anti-Asian racism throughout the pandemic, and prioritizing data disaggregation for the AAPI community.
"In the meeting, we highlighted how excited we are that one of our very own CAPAC Members, Kamala Harris, will be the first woman, first Asian American, and first Black Vice President in our nation’s history. We also discussed the critical need to ensure that AAPIs are well represented throughout the entire Biden-Harris Administration, particularly in the Cabinet and other senior roles.
CAPAC members also raised important policy priorities, such as the need to address the disproportionate health and economic impacts of COVID-19 on AAPIs, concerns over growing anti-Asian racism throughout the pandemic, and prioritizing data disaggregation for the AAPI community.
CAPAC sent a letter to the transition team shortly after Biden triumphed over Trump reminding them of the role AAPI voters played in the election.
“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are seven percent of the U.S. population and the fastest-growing racial group in the nation, with over 23 million AAPIs living in this country today," said the letter. "AAPIs are also the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. electorate and turned out in record numbers in the 2020 election, with over two-thirds of the AAPI vote supporting your election.
“For over two decades, there has been at least one AAPI appointed to serve in the Cabinet of both Democratic and Republican administrations. In fact, the Obama Administration included a record three AAPI Cabinet secretaries and the Trump Administration included two AAPI women in the Cabinet. In order to ensure your administration is filled with appointees who truly reflect the strength and diversity of our nation, we urge you to continue this trend of appointing AAPI candidates to the Cabinet and prioritizing AAPI representation throughout your administration."
“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are seven percent of the U.S. population and the fastest-growing racial group in the nation, with over 23 million AAPIs living in this country today," said the letter. "AAPIs are also the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. electorate and turned out in record numbers in the 2020 election, with over two-thirds of the AAPI vote supporting your election.
“For over two decades, there has been at least one AAPI appointed to serve in the Cabinet of both Democratic and Republican administrations. In fact, the Obama Administration included a record three AAPI Cabinet secretaries and the Trump Administration included two AAPI women in the Cabinet. In order to ensure your administration is filled with appointees who truly reflect the strength and diversity of our nation, we urge you to continue this trend of appointing AAPI candidates to the Cabinet and prioritizing AAPI representation throughout your administration."
EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution, this is news sprinkled with opinion. Readers are encouraged to seek multiple news sources to formulate their own positions.
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