AANHPI advocates campaign for an Asian American Cabinet Secretary

Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su may be up for a promotion.

With the pending departure of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, AANHPI groups see an opportunity to fix a perceived oversight by placing one of their own onto President Joe Biden's Cabinet.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) threw their weight behind Julie A. Su to replace Walsh, who will be leaving the Cabinet to become head of the National Hockey League’s Players Association, according to WBUR.

Although Walsh hasn't confirmed his departure yet, that hasn't stopped CAPAC and other AANHPI advocates from lobbying for Su, who currently holds the No. 2 position in the Labor Dept.

“Deputy Secretary Su has dedicated her career to the promotion of workers’ rights and fair labor practices and to advancing equity and opportunities for all workers, including ones from historically underserved communities," states a CAPAC press release. "She would be a stellar, exceptionally qualified candidate to be Secretary of Labor and would deliver results for American workers and the Biden-Harris Administration immediately upon her confirmation."

Su was in the running to become Labor Secretary when Biden was forming his Cabinet but eventually Walsh, the former Boston mayor, got the job.

Walsh's appointment was the final Secretary-level position to be filled and AANHIPI leaders had hoped Su would get the position because there were no Asian Americans at the Secretary level on Biden's Cabinet.

To assuage the disappointment of Su's supporters, Biden created a new White house position to act as the President's liason to the AANHPI communities. Erika Moritsugu, who has a long history of working in several government positions in Washington, was appointed to that post.

Su, who has not said she would take the position even if it was offered, received more support with the endorsements of the influential Black Congressional Caucus and most labor leaders, garnered from the relationships she developed as California's Labor Secretary.

“It’s the first administration in 20 years without an [Asian American Pacific Islander] Cabinet secretary … This is the first chance they have to diversify the Cabinet,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth told Politico. “So I’m waiting to see. Hopefully they will nominate her or an AAPI.”

Duckworth and Sen. Mazie Hirono were so disappointed that Su was not appointed Labor Secretary in 2021 that they threatened to slow-walk Biden's appointments that need Senate approval.

Currently, there are three Asian Americans on Biden's Cabinet, Vice President Kamala Harris, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Arati Prabhakar, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. However, none of those posts have the prestige, power or high-profile given to a Secretary.

Some of Su's AANHPI supporters include the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Asian Pacific Insitute for Congressional Studies, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and Advancing Asian American Justice.

"If nominated and confirmed as Secretary of Labor, she would become an even greater asset to the Biden Administration and Department of Labor (DOL) at the helm," said Asian Americans Advancing Justice, where Su worked for 15 years. "Julie Su has been an indispensable leader within DOL, working in lockstep with Secretary Walsh to advance President Biden’s agenda for a more inclusive economy. Now, she is even more profoundly qualified and positioned to further deliver on labor, workforce, and employment goals set forth by the Biden Administration."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

President Biden names his "liaison" to AAPI communities

ERIKA MORTSUGU, 

President Biden Wednesday selected Capitol Hill veteran Erika Moritsugu as the White House "liaison" to the AAPI community, fulfilling an earlier pledge to Senators Mazie Hirono and Tammy Duckworth.

Moritsugu's official title will be Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Senior Liaison. Moritsugu is expected to report to Bruce Reed, Biden’s deputy chief of staff.

The pending appointment comes after Hirono and Duckworth threatened to wthhold their votes on White House nominees unless Biden included AAPIs among the White House senior advisors. With the Senate split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, any Democratic defections or abstentions could doom the nominees' chances.

To appease the senators and other AAPI members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus who were disappointed that no Asian Americans hold a Cabinet Secretary position, the White House promised to appoint a senior advisor to act as a "liaison." 

Biden is scheduled to meet with the leadership team of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in the Oval Office on Thursday.

The California-born and Hawaii-raised attorney served as the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations at the Department of Housing and Urban Development under the leadership of Secretary Julián Castro in the Obama Administration after being confirmed by the Senate in 2014.

Moritsugu was recently appointed as the Vice President of a newly formed Congressional Relations team to lead an enterprise-wide advocacy strategy across all of the Partnership’s program areas, including economic justice and health justice. Prior to her work at the National Partnership, Moritsugu led the Government Relations, Advocacy and Community Engagement team at the Anti-Defamation League, a leading anti-hate organization that was founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry.

Moritsugu has diverse and deep experience on Capitol Hill and within governmental agencies. Moritsugu served as the General Counsel for Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, for whom she provided legislative and political strategic counsel and managed the Senator’s AAPI outreach and judiciary, civil rights and economic policies. 

She was the Deputy Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs at the newly-established Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Deputy Legislative Director for Senator Daniel K. Akaka of Hawai’i focused on economic policy and health issues; and held several different roles at the Senate Democratic Policy Committee under Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, including Acting Staff Director and Policy Director and economic policy advisor. 

Before recommitting to a career in public service, she practiced international trade, legislative, and immigration law at Hogan and Hartson and managed grassroots and coalition-building campaigns at The Wexler Group.

With Moritsugu named, AAPI leaders continue to seek more appointments of AAPI. With the withdrawal of Neera Tanden for consideration as director of the Office of Management and Budget, Biden only has Vice President Kamala Harris and Trade Representative Katherine Tai present during the Cabinet meetings.

Among the top nominees for OMB director is Nani Coloretti, a Filipino American who served as deputy secretary of housing and urban development in the Obama administration.

Initially, AAPI leaders submitted several names to replace Tanden but decided to rally around a single candidate. If Coloretti is chosen to head OMB, she would be the first Filipino American to serve in a U.S. President's Cabinet.

Coloretti "fits the bill. She worked at OMB as a career official," said Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of the AAPI Victory Fund, which is backing Coloretti. "She’s been confirmed by the Senate. She would be enormously valuable to us if they make the appointment. It sends a very strong signal to our community.”