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The president-elect noted that the group of candidates he has nominated so far constitute “the most diverse cabinet anyone in American history has ever announced.” Harris will also make history as the first woman, first black person, and first person of South Asian descent to become vice president.
Biden said he had a meeting scheduled with the NAACP on Tuesday. NAACP Chairman Derrick Johnson told CNN on Wednesday that his organization and other civil rights groups had requested time with Biden and Harris to discuss the new administration and ensure minority and rights representation. civilians in their agenda.
“Their job is to push me,” Biden said, noting that every advocacy group “is pushing for more and more of what they want. It’s their job.”
“My job is to keep my commitment to make the decisions,” Biden said. “And when it’s all over, people will take a look and say, I promise you, you’ll see the most diverse Cabinet representative of all, Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos. , LGBTQ, in all areas. “
Biden said the rest of his Cabinet candidates would be announced “within the next month or so.”
Biden has so far appointed four people from diverse backgrounds to his cabinet: UN Ambassador candidate Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a black woman; Alejandro Mayorkas, candidate for Secretary of Homeland Security, a Cuban-American who would be the first Latino to hold this post if confirmed by the Senate; Neera Tanden, who is the first woman of color and the first South Asian person appointed to head the Office of Management and Budget; and Cecilia Rouse, who will be the first woman of color to be appointed chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, a post Biden said last week he would elevate to Cabinet level.
Biden also announced several other historic firsts in other positions in his administration, including Wally Adeyemo, who is said to be the first black person to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.
But some elected officials, activists and civil rights groups lamented that Biden did not do enough to diversify his cabinet.
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have asked Biden to appoint either California Attorney General Xavier Becerra or Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez as United States Attorney General. CSC members are also pushing for New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to be appointed secretary of health and human services.
South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, an influential member of the Democratic leadership, said Biden’s team must continue to appoint more black men and women to leadership positions. Clyburn’s endorsement helped Biden win the South Carolina primary, which kick-started his campaign and put him on track for the Democratic nomination.
Clyburn said on Wednesday: “I can think of at least 10 blacks who qualify for each of them,” among the cabinet candidates Biden has appointed. Clyburn lobbied for Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge to head the Department of Agriculture.
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