Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth said on Tuesday she would postpone voting for President Biden’s nominees in protest against her lack of Asian-American elections for cabinet positions.
Duckworth has the power to face contentious nominees in the equally divided Senate on his own, although some of Biden’s nominees have been approved with significant Republican support.
“There is no representation of AAPI in the office. There is not a single AAPI in a cabinet position. This is unacceptable, ”Duckworth told reporters on Capitol Hill, using a term for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
“President Biden will be the first president in 20 years without an APPI cabinet secretary,” she said.
Duckworth said he made his decision after White House deputy chief of staff Jennifer O’Malley Dillon made an “incredibly insulting” comment on Monday night after Biden spoke on a webcast with Senate Democrats .
Dillon, the manager of Biden’s 2020 campaign, allegedly suggested to Duckworth that Asian Americans should be content with the role of Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris is biracial; his mother was born in India and his father is black and from Jamaica.
“To hear that, ‘Well, you have Kamala Harris, we are very proud of her, you don’t need anyone else’ is an insult … last night, that was the trigger for me,” said Duckworth.
“But I heard it several times. And that is not something you would say to the black caucus, ‘Well, you have Kamala, we are not going to put any more African-Americans in the cabinet because you have Kamala.’ “
Duckworth said that “when I asked about AAPI representation … the first words that came out of the team’s mouth were ‘Well, we are very proud of Vice President Harris’, which is incredibly insulting.”
She confirmed to reporters that it was Dillon who made the comment.
“I’ve been talking to them for months. And they haven’t addressed the issue yet, so I’m not going to vote for any other White House nominee other than diversity nominees – probably a no for everyone until they figure it out, ”said Duckworth.
Duckworth, who was born in Thailand, said, “I told them this morning. So, I hope they find out. Because I am ‘no’ at all other than candidates for diversity. “
Asked to clarify who she would support as a “diversity” candidate, Duckworth said: “I will vote for racial minorities and LGBTQ, but for anyone else I am not voting for.”
She said her protest involved judicial nominees and executive positions. In addition to being able to reject nominees, senators can place “holds” on slow confirmation votes.
Duckworth’s protest against Biden’s nominees follows last week’s shootout of eight in Atlanta’s massage parlors. Six of the victims were Asian Americans and some see the deaths as a possible hate crime, although suspect Robert Long, 21, denies racism and blames his sex addiction.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Biden’s 15 cabinet secretaries are all confirmed, which means that there is currently no vacancy to fill with an Asian candidate, unless Biden dismisses a titleholder.
Duckworth said he is interested in Biden making “a commitment to a future cabinet secretary” or choosing an Asian American to lead the Federal Communications Commission or the White House Office of Administration and Budget.
Currently, there is a Biden cabinet officer who is Asian American, the US commercial representative Katherine Tai.
Biden’s failed nominee for White House budget director Neera Tanden, who is Indian-American, was withdrawn after senators objected to her based on her attack tweets directed at them.
Previous administrations have had Asian-American cabinet secretaries.
Former President Donald Trump had Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao in his office, who was previously Secretary of Labor for President George W. Bush. Asian-American Norman Mineta was Bush’s transportation secretary and Gary Locke was former President Barack Obama’s secretary of commerce.