AAPI sorely disappointed they were overlooked for Biden's Cabinet

President-elect Joe Biden' Cabinet nominees

The ripples of severe disappointment because President-elect Joe Biden failed to nominate an Asian American or Pacific Islander as a Secretary in his Cabinet is starting to look like a tidal wave.

After meetings with its boards, advisors and supporters, agencies from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community are expressing their distress that for the first time in four administration, no AAPI Secretary will serve in Cabinet. 

The presence of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as Biden's closest advisor and the AAPI in White House senior staff failed to assuage the feeling of being ignored or being taken for granted. The nominations of Neera Tanden, who is Indian American, as head of the Office of Management and Budget, and Katherine Tai as the U.S. Trade Representative don't carry the level of influence as a Cabinet Secretary.

“[Biden’s team is] drawing a distinction that is semantically designed to diminish the validity of our claim and that I don’t appreciate,” said Rep. Mark Takano, D-CA. “I don’t appreciate that you’re going to say that this is the most diverse Cabinet in history. I would say I, with all due respect, Mr. President, I respectfully disagree and I will not give you a pass on that statement.”

As the days turned into weeks and Biden appeared reluctant to commit to an AAPI on his Cabinet, the AAPI members of Congress was reduced to pleading for representation.

RELATED: Biden's Cabinet doesn't look like America without an AAPI secretary

"How sad, though, that the members of the non-partisan, bi-cameral Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) had to repeatedly call on the incoming Biden administration to look to the diversity that is the AAPI community in delivering on the president-elect's promise to build an inclusive government that reflects the full diversity of the United States," wrote Curtis Chin, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the Asian Development Bank from 2007-2010 under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, in an oped in The Hill. 

“For too long, AAPIs have been overlooked and left out of important policy discussions impacting communities of color, including on issues like immigration and healthcare,” said a statement from the Tri-Caucus leadership, which represents the Black, Hispanice and AAPI members of Congress.

Without an AAPI Cabinet Secretary, “we could not celebrate this as a truly diverse Cabinet because it sends the message that AAPIs do not need to be included,” said their letter to Biden and his transition team. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Updated Jan. 13, 1:15 p.m. to include CAPA21 statement.

Following are statements and press releases from some of the agencies serving and advocating for the AAPI community:

APIAVote Press Release

Last week’s Georgia Senate run-off elections capped a historic cycle for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) participation in the Peach State. APIAVote Executive Director Christine Chen issued the following statement on the Biden Administration’s lack of AAPI representation at the Secretary level:

“We are overjoyed that Asian American and Pacific Islanders made their voices heard so loudly in last week’s Georgia Senate elections, as well as throughout the 2020 cycle. With those campaigns behind us, it is of the utmost importance the new Administration and our Congressional leaders begin addressing our most pressing problems, including the COVID-19 vaccine and economic relief for working families.

“Our elected officials owe a great debt of gratitude to the AAPI community. Many of their elections were made possible by the significant contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander votes. Approximately two-thirds of AAPI’s supported the new Administration, and AAPI’s turned out in record numbers during the general election. According to one analysis, AAPI voters increased their turnout relative to 2016 more than any other demographic group across the swing states.

“While we are thrilled that Vice President-Elect Harris is the first person of South Asian descent to hold that office, we are dismayed about the lack of an AAPI Cabinet Secretary. There were multiple highly-qualified AAPI’s for Cabinet Secretary positions, yet no final selections across all 15 agencies with Secretaries. This represents a significant step backwards in representation from President Obama, President Bush and President Clinton’s Cabinets, as well as the current Administration.

“Last week’s insurrection underscores the urgency in President-Elect Biden’s own promise at our APIAVote Presidential Town Hall that he would nominate a Cabinet that looks like America. A mostly-white mob of insurgents attacked the U.S. Capitol holding flags of hatred, while screaming racial epithets in the People’s House. Asian American and Pacific Islanders have served on the frontlines of our nation’s wars to protect our nation’s highest ideals, and have unfortunately been victim to its excesses and overreach, particularly Japanese Americans during World War II.

“Our calls for representation come from a long-held understanding in ethnic communities that having a seat at the table ensures our government’s policies reflect all of its people. During the George W. Bush Administration, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta helped ensure the Bush Administration would not make the same catastrophic mistake that led to the interments of Asian-Americans in Korematsu v. United States. Our community understandably has questions about where it fits into the new Administration, given that our faces will not be the ones setting and implementing policy as Cabinet Secretaries.

“As our nation seeks to heal from the destructive and violent events of the last year, it would be a proper gesture of respect and gratitude to welcome AAPI’s into the next round of Cabinet nominations, senior White House and agency leadership, and boards and commissions.”

"The reality remains that even the most 'woke' administrations must be judged by their reality, not their rhetoric," writes Chin. "Those who would seek to take pride in the diversity of any president’s nominations and appointments and argue that representation matters — as it most surely does, and at the highest Cabinet levels — should not likewise seek to argue that this misstep by the upcoming administration does not matter. 

In their letter to Biden's transition team, the Tri-Caucus members concluded, “Close to equal is not equal.”

Japanese American Citizen League Press Release

OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates  Press Release

It is incredibly concerning to our community that no AAPI Cabinet Secretaries were appointed. If the Biden Administration wants to fulfil their promise on uniting this country, they must start with intentional diversity and inclusion in the federal government. Our communities will feel heard if they feel seen, and this starts with AAPI appointments.

There are numerous qualified AAPIs who should be appointed to senior positions throughout the government. The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) and the Asian Pacific American Institute of Congressional Studies (APAICS) have worked tirelessly to identify and select qualified individuals for appointment. Therefore, the lack of AAPI nominations is no excuse.

We call on the incoming Biden Administration to commit to ensuring the AAPI community has a seat at every table where decisions are being made that impact us.

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

Dale Minami, president of the 

Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans 21

The AAPI political action committee CAPA21 expresses its disappointment that the Biden/Harris administration has filled its department-level Cabinet without a single Asian American Pacific Islander nominee.

Despite strong calls from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and numerous Asian American Pacific Islander organizations, the Biden/Harris administration will start on January 20 as the first administration in more than 20 years without an Asian American or Pacific Islander serving as a Cabinet Secretary.

President-elect Biden campaigned on a pledge to build a Cabinet that “looks like America.” More than 24 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are part of the vibrant American population. A Cabinet without an AAPI secretary does not look like America.

The Biden/Harris administration is sending a message to the AAPI community that we are not important enough to merit being reflected in an otherwise diverse Cabinet.

Our critique does not discount the importance of the roles that will be served by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Office of Management & Budget Director-designate Neera Tanden, US Trade Representative-designate Katherine Tai, and other AAPIs nominated to leadership positions in the new administration. We celebrate Vice President-elect Harris and all the AAPIs nominated, but President-elect Biden’s pledge remains unfulfilled.

CAPA21 asks that the Biden/Harris administration explain to the AAPI community how it will make good on its promise of a Cabinet reflective of America.

EDITOR'S NOTE; A word of caution. This is an opinion piece. Readers should consult several sources of news to form their own opinion.