Filipina American picked for high-ranking White House post

SCREEN CAPTURE / C-SPAN

Nani Coloretti during the Senate's confirmation hearing.

The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday, 57-41, to confirm Nani Coloretti to serve in the White House where she will serve as the deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget.

Coloretti will be the highest-ranking Filipino American in the Biden administration, says Hawaii's US Sen. Brian Schatz.

“This is a proud moment for Hawaii,” said Schatz in a press release. “Nani will bring strong leadership experience and the ability to inspire the next generation of Filipino American leaders in Hawai‘i and across the country. I am proud to call Nani a friend, and I look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role at OMB.”

"As the agency that oversees the implementation of the funding to execute the President’s agenda, OMB is one of the most consequential offices in the Federal government," says Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Prior to her selection as deputy director of OMB, she was a Senior Vice President at the Urban Institute, an independent policy research organization and think tank dedicated to using evidence, insight, and analysis to advance upward mobility, equity, and shared prosperity all Americans.

Coloretti’s federal government service includes deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Assistant Secretary for Management and Acting CFO of U.S. Department of the Treasury, and Acting COO of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Before joining the Obama Administration in 2009, she served as Policy and Budget Director for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. 

Before joining the federal government, her experience includes work in San Francisco to improve the lives of children, youth, and families; program examiner and Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of Management and Budget and work on the State of Hawaii budget. 

She was born and raised in Hawaii. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and communications from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991 and a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1994.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Don't miss additional commentary, news, views and tips from an AAPI perspective by following @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.”