WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced Erika L. Moritsugu as Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Senior Liaison. 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.
Erika L. Moritsugu, Deputy Assistant to the President and AAPI Senior Liaison
Erika L. Moritsugu, currently the Vice President at National Partnership for Women & Families has spent her career in the federal government and politics fighting for social justice and the empowerment of communities and individuals. She 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.
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Biden to name Asian American-Pacific Islander liaison
by Alexandra Jaffe, The Associated Press
Posted Apr 14, 2021 5:54 pm EDT
Last Updated Apr 14, 2021 at 5:58 pm EDT
WASHINGTON President Joe Biden will name Erika Moritsugu, a Capitol Hill veteran and vice-president of a women’s rights advocacy group, as his liaison to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, according to two sources familiar with the decision.
Biden committed to creating a senior-level role focused on the AAPI community after he received criticism from Democratic Sens. Tammy of Duckworth of Illinois and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii for the lack of Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in his cabinet. The two senators threatened to hold up his nominees unless Biden remedied the situation, but reversed their stance after the White House said it would create the position.
White House to name Erika Moritsugu to Asian American liaison position By Weijia Jiang, Jack Turman
April 14, 2021 / 4:48 PM / CBS News
The Biden administration is expected Thursday to announce Erika Moritsugu to a senior-level Asian American liaison position, according to sources familiar with the decision making.
The White House committed to creating the new role amid pressure from Democratic Senators Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii over the lack of Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in the president s Cabinet and in senior roles in the administration.
In March, the lawmakers threatened to oppose President Biden s nominees who were not diverse until the Biden administration would elevate Asian American voices to more senior roles in the government. After conversations with the White House, both senators dropped their pledge to withhold confirming non-diverse nominees.