Rep. Clyburn Encourages Biden to Look Beyond Gender and Color for Cabinet Positions
On 12/18/20 at 2:12 PM EST
President-elect Joe Biden s recent picks to serve in his new Cabinet signal a commitment to have an administration as diverse as America s population. But while House Majority Whip James Clyburn wants to see those symbols, he said it s also important to consider a person s experiences during the vetting process.
With five positions still open, Biden is on track to have the most diverse Cabinet in history, having already appointed multiple women and minorities. Some people are pushing Biden to go even farther with his picks for the top positions with regard to appointing Latinos and Asian Americans, and Clyburn has been a vocal advocate for the continuation of appointing Black men and women.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said the Democratic Party needs new leadership during an interview with
While on the podcast, Ocasio-Cortez was asked whether it’s time for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer to be replaced.
“I mean, I think so,” Ocasio-Cortez answered before adding that the party does not have a succession plan for when Pelosi and Schumer decide to step aside and has not groomed the next generation of Democratic leadership.
Schumer, 70, was re-elected as the Democratic leader in the Senate in November and Speaker of the House Pelosi, 80, has hinted this will be her last term as speaker. House Democrats have already nominated Pelosi for the role next year.
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer told reporters that Ms. Haaland would make an excellent pick and that he hasn’t tried to discourage Mr. Biden from tapping House members for the incoming administration.
Mr. Biden has said the narrow margins in the House and Senate are factoring into his personnel choices.
He’s already named Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio as his pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development and has named Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana as a senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Both Mr. Hoyer and House Majority Whip James Clyburn expressed concerns last week about losing a third member, at least temporarily, as House Democrats head into the new Congress with a diminished majority.
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