Over 100 Members of Congress Call for an AAPI Cabinet Secretary in President Biden’s Administration

Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday, 116 current and incoming Members of Congress, led by Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), sent a bicameral letter to President-elect Joe Biden urging him to name an Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Cabinet Secretary. So far, in a departure from the past four Administrations, none of the 12 Cabinet Secretaries nominated thus far by the President-elect have been AAPI.

The Members also requested a meeting between President-elect Biden and members of CAPAC to discuss the importance of AAPI inclusion and the significance of not having an AAPI Secretary serving in a presidential Administration for the first time in over 20 years.

“For too long, AAPIs have been overlooked in critical decisions pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and AAPIs continue to be left out of important policy discussions impacting communities of color. We see this in topics ranging from the disproportionate health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to critical policy priorities like immigration reform,” wrote the members. “The need for diversity at the highest levels is not for the sake of optics. It’s about ensuring all experiences are reflected in our decision making. As we know, ‘personnel is policy.’ And when we have diverse leaders in positions of power, it leads to more inclusive policies that better serve the entirety of our country. That is why we strongly believe there must be an AAPI Cabinet Secretary in your administration, just as there has been for over 20 years.”

The letter is available online here and included below:

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December 29, 2020

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.                      

President-Elect of the United States  

Presidential Transition Office

1401 Constitution Ave NW

Washington, D.C. 20230      

Dear President-Elect Biden:

In service of your stated goal to build an Administration that looks like America and is more representative and diverse than ever before, we, the undersigned Members of Congress, write to urge you to ensure that the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is included in both the personnel and policy priorities of your Administration. That must include an AAPI Cabinet Secretary. Although you promised to build the most diverse Cabinet in history, AAPIs have so far been excluded from the 15 Cabinet Secretary slots that oversee executive departments and are responsible for shaping and implementing your Administration’s policies. While we applaud your historic selection of Kamala Harris to be the first woman, first Black, and first Asian American Vice President in our nation’s history, we are deeply concerned that for the first time in over two decades, there may not be a single AAPI represented amongst the 15 Cabinet heads in our federal government.

The AAPI community is the fastest growing racial population in the nation and makes up 7% of the total United States population. AAPIs are also the fastest growing segment of the U.S. electorate and turned out in record numbers this year, with over two-thirds of the AAPI vote supporting your election. There are over 2 million AAPI workers in the healthcare, transportation, and service industries that are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, there are nearly 2 million Asian American-owned businesses that generate over $700 billion in annual revenue who are facing dire economic impacts, as well as millions of AAPIs who are facing surging unemployment and anti-Asian discrimination due to the current crisis. Furthermore, this pandemic has disproportionately impacted the over one-third of AAPIs who are limited English proficient, as well as the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community, which continues to face some of the highest COVID-19 infection and mortality rates across the nation. 

Unfortunately, many of these concerns are overlooked due to the long history of exclusion the AAPI community has faced. The history of AAPIs in the United States has been shaped by discriminatory laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 – the first law to explicitly ban an entire group of people from coming to the United States based solely on their race – the exclusionary Asiatic Barred Zone Act of 1917, and the signing of Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. This painful history of exclusion is one that is still often felt today. For too long, AAPIs have been overlooked in critical decisions pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and AAPIs continue to be left out of important policy discussions impacting communities of color. We see this in topics ranging from the disproportionate health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to critical policy priorities like immigration reform.

The need for diversity at the highest levels is not for the sake of optics. It’s about ensuring all experiences are reflected in our decision making. As we know, “personnel is policy.” And when we have diverse leaders in positions of power, it leads to more inclusive policies that better serve the entirety of our country. That is why we strongly believe there must be an AAPI Cabinet Secretary in your administration, just as there has been for over 20 years.

We are thrilled that incredible Black, Hispanic, Native American, women, and LGBTQ leaders have been named as Cabinet Secretaries, breaking barriers for communities who have been left out for so long. But without an AAPI Cabinet Secretary, the inclusionary vision of this Cabinet is incomplete. We know from our own experiences representing different cross sections of America that embracing diversity is the key to our success. Our unity allows us to achieve victories on behalf of all Americans, which is more critical now than ever as we work to heal the divisions in our nation. That is why, last week, leaders of the Congressional Tri-Caucus, which includes the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, issued a joint statement saying that a diverse Cabinet must include an AAPI at the Secretary level.

This same commitment to diversity and inclusion should be reflected at the top of our government. Not including an AAPI Cabinet Secretary for the first time in over two decades would erode the historic gains the AAPI community has made and send the wrong message that “diversity” does not include AAPIs. In order to truly build the “most diverse Cabinet in history” and a government that reflects the full diversity of our country, there must be an AAPI Cabinet Secretary. Close to equal is not equal.

In order to address these urgent concerns of AAPI exclusion, we request that you meet with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) prior to making any additional Cabinet nominations. Thank you for your time and consideration, and we look forward to hearing from you. 

Sincerely,

Rep. Judy Chu, CAPAC Chair

Rep. Grace Meng, CAPAC First Vice Chair

Rep. Mark Takano, CAPAC Second Vice Chair

Rep. Ted W. Lieu, CAPAC Whip

Rep. Andy Kim, CAPAC Freshman Representative

Sen. Tammy Duckworth

Sen. Mazie K. Hirono

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto

Sen. Jeffrey A. Merkley

Sen. Jacky Rosen

Sen. Brian Schatz

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Rep. Ami Bera

Rep. Ed Case

Rep. Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr.

Rep. TJ Cox

Rep. Jimmy Gomez

Rep. Al Green

Rep. Pramila Jayapal

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi

Rep. Barbara Lee

Rep. Doris O. Matsui

Del. Michael F.Q. San Nicolas

Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott

Rep. Pete Aguilar

Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán

Rep. Karen Bass

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici

Rep. Anthony Brindisi

Rep. Anthony G. Brown

Rep. Julia Brownley

Rep. Salud Carbajal

Rep. Tony Cárdenas

Rep. Joaquin Castro

Rep. David Cicilline

Rep. Katherine Clark

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly

Rep. Luis J. Correa

Rep. Jim Costa

Rep. Angie Craig

Rep. Jason Crow

Rep. Sharice Davids

Rep. Diana DeGette

Rep. Suzan DelBene

Rep. Veronica Escobar

Rep. Anna G. Eshoo

Rep. Adriano Espaillat

Rep. Dwight Evans

Rep. Lois Frankel

Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García

Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez

Rep. Raúl Grijalva

Rep. Denny Heck

Rep. Brian Higgins

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries

Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr.

Rep. Daniel T. Kildee

Rep. Derek Kilmer

Rep. Ann McLane Kuster

Rep. Rick Larsen

Rep. John B. Larson

Rep. Susie Lee

Rep. Alan Lowenthal

Rep. Carolyn Maloney

Rep. James P. McGovern

Rep. Jerry McNerney

Rep. Gregory W. Meeks

Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell

Rep. Jerrold Nadler

Rep. Grace Napolitano

Rep. Richard E. Neal

Rep. Joe Neguse

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Rep. Ilhan Omar

Rep. Jimmy Panetta

Rep. Chris Pappas

Rep. Scott Peters

Rep. Chellie Pingree

Rep. Mark Pocan

Rep. Katie Porter

Rep. Ayanna Pressley

Rep. Jamie Raskin

Rep. Kathleen M. Rice

Rep. Max Rose

Rep. Harley Rouda

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard

Rep. Raul Ruiz

Rep. Jan Schakowsky

Rep. Adam Schiff

Rep. David Scott

Rep. Brad Sherman

Rep. Darren M. Soto

Rep. Jackie Speier

Rep. Haley Stevens

Rep. Thomas Suozzi

Rep. Eric Swalwell

Rep. Mike Thompson

Rep. Rashida Tlaib

Rep. Paul D. Tonko

Rep. Norma Torres

Rep. Xochitl Torres Small

Rep. Lori Trahan

Rep. Lauren Underwood

Rep. Juan Vargas

Rep. Marc Veasey

Rep. Filemon Vela

Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez

Rep. Peter Welch

Rep. Jennifer Wexton

Rep.-elect Kaiali‘i Kahele

Rep.-elect Marilyn Strickland

Rep.-elect Deborah Ross