Washington: Sixty-one per cent of the new White House appointees are women and 54 per cent are people of colour, President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team has said, asserting that the Biden-Harris administration will prioritise diversity of ideology and background, and foster talent to address the country’s most complex challenges.
On Wednesday, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris surpassed their goal of naming 100 members of their incoming administration.
These accomplished individuals join a historic and barrier-breaking administration that looks like America, and is ready to deliver results for working families on day one, Biden’s transition team said.
The Biden-Harris administration will prioritise diversity of ideology and background, and foster talent to address the nation’s most complex challenges, it said.
The White House staff represents a small percentage of the total number of Biden-Harris appointees that will serve across the federal government, said the transition team.
“The first 100+ White House appointees, including those announced today, represent America in the following ways: 61 per cent are women, 54 per cent are people of colour, AAPI appointees represent more than twice their share of the national population, LGBTQ+ appointees account for 11 per cent of all White House staff,” it said.
According to the statistics released by the Biden transition, almost 20 per cent of appointees are first-generation Americans and about 40 per cent of White House senior staff have children at home.
“From the beginning, Vice President-elect Harris and I have sought to build an administration that looks like America. Building a diverse team will lead to better outcomes and more effective solutions to address the urgent crises facing our nation.
The appointees named today will draw from their expertise and life experiences to help us build the country back better. Moving forward together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish,” Biden said.
Harris said to meet unprecedented challenges facing the American people, an administration should be build that reflects the very best of the country.
“These remarkable public servants have the knowledge and expertise to hit the ground running on day one. And I look forward to working with them to get this virus under control, safely and responsibly reopen our economy and our schools, and build back our country in a way that lifts up all Americans,” she said.
“The president-elect and vice president-elect have been committed to building a White House team that is filled with crisis-tested experts who will hit the ground running on day one. I am thrilled that we have accomplished our goal of naming 100 staff members by the end of 2020 — and I could not be more proud of the talented and diverse team we will put to work for the American people,” said incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.
