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President Joe Biden has picked Erika Moritsugu to serve as senior liaison to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, the White House announced Wednesday.
"Moritsugu will bring her experience and expertise to the Biden-Harris Administration where she will be a vital voice to advance the President and the Administration’s priorities," the White House said.
The news was first reported by CBS News' Weijia Jiang and Jack Turman.
Moritsugu is the Vice President at National Partnership for Women & Families and was an assistant secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration. She has extensive experience on Capitol Hill, having previously served as the General Counsel for Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), among other roles.
Moritsugu also worked at the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, the Prosecutor’s Office for the City and County of Honolulu, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division.
The White House created the senior-level role as an attempt to remedy frustrations from Sens. Duckworth and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) over the lack of appointed AAPI representation in Biden's Cabinet. Though U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai holds a Cabinet-level position, the Biden administration is the first in 20 years without an AAPI Cabinet Secretary.
"I applaud President Biden for swiftly addressing my concerns and creating a new senior-level AAPI liaison position at the White House," Duckworth said in a statement. "Erika Moritsugu is a leader within the AAPI community who has experience working in both the legislative and executive branches as well as advocating for working families outside of government."
"Erika’s designation as a deputy assistant to the president demonstrates that the White House heard the AAPI community’s call for this role to be a senior level position," Hirono added. "I have confidence that Erika will use her deep experience in Congress, the Executive Branch, and as an advocate to be a champion for the AAPI community in this administration.”
The liaison position announced Wednesday is separate from the role held by Howard Ou, an Associate Director at the White House Office of Public Engagement who has been responsible for communicating with national AAPI groups thus far. It's so far unclear what Moritsugu's responsibilities will entail and whether she will have a hand in the planned reestablishment of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI).
The White House faced pressure to ramp up outreach to the AAPI community following the deadly shootings in Atlanta and unveiled new steps to combat anti-Asian violence last month. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are scheduled to meet with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus on Thursday, though Moritsugu is not expected to attend.
On Wednesday, the Senate voted 92-6 to begin debate on legislation authored by Hirono and Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York) intended to combat the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
The Office of Management and Budget announced that the Biden administration would support the bill, saying that "elected leaders must act to prevent anti-Asian violence and advance inclusion and belonging for all Asian American communities."
This story has been updated to include statements from Senators Duckworth and Hirono.
