Biden Promised the Most Diverse Administration Ever. Here’s How He’s Doing – By Mariel Padilla (The 19th) / May 4 2021
Seven figures that show the representation — and the gaps — in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet and federal appointments.
President Joe Biden promised to have a Cabinet that reflected the diversity of the country.
Alongside Kamala Harris, the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to be vice president, Biden said last December before announcing some of his Cabinet nominees: “I promise you, you’ll see the most diverse Cabinet representative of all folks — Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ — across the board.”
In addition to the Cabinet, which includes the vice president and the heads of 15 executive departments, presidents fill roughly 4,000 politically appointed positions, including more than 1,200 that must be confirmed by the Senate.
Multiple groups gather data on diversity in the administration. The 19th spoke to experts at the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that provides consulting services to government agencies; the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP); and Inclusive America, a nonprofit dedicated to government diversity.
