White House defends Asian American representation

The White House on Wednesday defended the representation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Biden administration after two senators raised concerns about the lack of high-level representation for the group.

President Biden has no Asian Americans leading any of the 15 executive agencies in his Cabinet, an issue that has been put in the spotlight in the wake of a shooting last week that left eight people dead, including six Asian women, amid a broader spike in discrimination against Asian Americans.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden “remains committed to making sure this is the most diverse administration in history.” She cited Asian Americans working in high-level positions, including Katherine Tai as U.S. Trade Representative, Julie Su as deputy Labor secretary and Kiran Ahuja as his pick to run the Office of Personnel Management.  

“The president’s view is that we need to listen, and that is an important component of how we’re communicating with members of Congress as concerns arise. Also with leaders in the community as he and the vice president did last Friday,” Psaki said, citing a listening session Biden and Vice President Harris held with Asian American leaders in Atlanta last week.

The press secretary also noted that community outreach and policy development will be just as critical as having representative personnel in place.

Still, Biden is facing pressure to include more Asian Americans at the top levels of his administration. 

Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said Tuesday they would vote against Biden’s nominees amid concerns about diversity in his Cabinet. The two senators have since dropped their opposition, citing a commitment from the White House to work to incorporate Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders voices.

Outside Asian American and Pacific Islander groups have been calling for months for more representation at the Cabinet level, with the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies noting in January that Biden would be the first president in 20 years not to have a Cabinet secretary who is a member of either community.