Roughly a dozen members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) met privately with Joe Biden’s transition team on Monday to express growing concerns about the lack of senior-level AAPI representation in the President-elect’s Cabinet, warning that the incoming administration risks being the first in 20 years without an AAPI Cabinet secretary.
In a readout of the meeting provided to The Yappie, CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu described the call as “positive” and said that “we discussed the critical need to ensure that AAPIs are well represented throughout the entire Biden-Harris Administration, particularly in the Cabinet and other senior roles.”
But multiple reports citing sources familiar with the conversation indicate that lawmakers left the call worried, fueled by frustration over the potential futures of Neera Tanden and Vivek Murthy—Biden’s two South Asian American picks.
While Biden announced plans to nominate Tanden to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget last week, fierce resistance from Republican leaders have intensified fears that her confirmation could be rejected if the Senate stays in GOP hands.
Outside organizations like the AAPI Victory Fund had also been lobbying Biden to pick Murthy to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Those hopes were dashed after Biden tapped Murthy to reprise his role as Surgeon General instead—a highly visible but lower-ranking position housed within HHS—leaving Tanden as the only Cabinet-level nomination so far.
With uncertainty around Tanden and dissatisfaction over Murthy’s role in the backdrop of Monday’s meeting, Reps. Chu and Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) reiterated their calls for the incoming administration to elevate the Surgeon General post to the Cabinet level. Biden transition officials indicated that such a move would be unlikely, USA Today’s Nicholas Wu writes.
Members of CAPAC’s executive committee also floated several names for remaining Cabinet roles, including Democratic trade counsel Katherine Tai, former PepsiCo executive Indra Nooyi, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, energy advisor Arun Majumdar, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), California Labor Secretary Julie Su, California Transportation Secretary David Kim, and former deputy Labor secretary Chris Lu.
Biden officials made no commitments but stressed that they were sensitive to the lawmakers’ concerns, The New York Times reports.
Meanwhile, leading AAPI advocacy groups are shifting their energy towards supporting Julie Su, who they consider to be a trusted ally and realistic contender to lead the U.S. Department of Labor.
In a November 25 letter to Biden, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, a nonprofit affiliated with the AFL-CIO, wrote that Su "has been a strong worker rights advocate for her entire career." A separate December 4 letter signed by the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans highlighted her time as a staff attorney for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles.
Since the Clinton years, every presidential administration has had at least one AAPI Cabinet member, The Washington Post’s Amy Wang notes. The Biden administration is on track to fall short of the record of three AAPI Cabinet secretaries set by the Obama administration, while Trump’s Cabinet included two.
With record AAPI turnout propelling Biden to victory in key states like Georgia, activists say a government that fully understands AAPI history and experiences is essential ahead of looming battles over the census, immigration, and health care.
Last month, CAPAC urged the Biden transition team to ensure that AAPIs would account for at least seven percent of “cabinet-level and other appointed personnel within the federal workforce,” reflecting their proportion in the U.S. population.
“Appreciate the progress we’ve made but more must be done,” Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York) tweeted after Monday’s meeting. “I look forward to our continued dialogue and partnership.”
