During his 2020 election campaign, President Joe Biden promised to build a cabinet representative of America’s racial plurality. Upholding the promise, Biden’s administration deviated greatly from past administrations, appointing women and ethnic minorities to positions that have long been held almost exclusively by white men. The Biden cabinet is now the most diverse in American history, with ten women, six Black Americans, four Hispanic Americans, and the first Native American. In stark contrast, the cabinet of Donald Trump P’00 was 82% white and 82% male.
Blazing the trail for the future generation of women in politics are Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai. These three women are making history as the first of the gender to hold their position, and Ms. Haaland and Ms. Tai are the first of their racial groups to lead their agencies.
The nomination and appointment of Ms. Yellen marks the first female Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and it makes her the first person in American history to have led the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the Federal Reserve, and the Treasury Department. During her time as chair of the Federal Reserve, unemployment rates declined, inflation was kept relatively low, and the stock market hit record highs. In fact, no recent chair of the Federal Reserve has seen the market climb as fast as it did under Ms. Yellen. Given her experience, she is well acquainted with the American economic system, and she is celebrated for her bipartisanship and ability to communicate government regulations effectively.
Secretary Yellen’s most pressing issue at the moment is the economic recession due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This pandemic has devastated American employment rates, disproportionately affected communities of color, created social unrest, and produced a devastating death toll of some 550,000 lives. As a result, Yellen is a strong advocate for the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill, stating that “the spending [the federal government] is doing now is arguably helping our debt path by getting our economy back on track.” While optimistic about the improvement of the economy as a whole, she suggests in her preliminary interviews that there will still be lasting inequalities in the nation’s wealth distribution. Yellen notes that early stages of recovery from the pandemic have disproportionately benefited the upper class. She has advocated for international cooperation to end the “destructive, global race to the bottom on corporate taxation,” and it is probable that, under her leadership, the Treasury will begin to shift its focus to sustainable industries and a more equal distribution of wealth across both race and social class.
Finally, with the looming trade war with China on the horizon, it is fitting that Biden’s nominee for U.S. Trade Representative was Katherina Tai, the first Asian-American woman to serve in the position. She was unanimously voted into the position by the Senate. Katherina Tai worked in the Obama administration, where she oversaw trade enforcement for China. Despite the fact that Asian Americans are the fastest growing demographic in the country, they are only represented by Ms. Tai in the Cabinet. Surprisingly, her nomination has faced outcry from some senators. Most notably, Senator Tammy Duckworth from Illinois threatened to block future Biden picks over a lack of AAPI nominees to the cabinet.
As tensions between American and Chinese governments mount, Ms. Tai seems to be faced with the reconciliation of the two nations, especially in the face of tariff threats. So far, Ms. Tai has remained strict on China, singling out the nation as “the world’s leading offender” in creating excess capacity in several sectors. In the 2021 National Trade Estimate Report — an annual survey of significant barriers to U.S. exports — Ms. Tai notes the danger of the “Made in China 2025” plan, various import bans and subsidies, as well as key issues with Chinese laws — notably those of labor, land use, commercial dispute resolution and the treatment of non-governmental organizations. The report made clear that she would continue with a strict approach to harmful foreign trade practices that would impede American export growth, as well as maintain cooperation with U.S. allies. Further immediate concerns include crafting Biden’s promised trade policy to center on the American worker and ensure that efforts to increase domestic manufacturing comply with trade agreements.
In an equally unprecedented nomination by President Biden, the Department of the Interior is now headed by Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to be appointed to a Cabinet position as well as the first woman to be in her role. The former congresswoman from New Mexico is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe. As an Indigenous woman, she is now at the head of a department which has historically exploited Native American land, culture, and society. The department is directly responsible for the 1956 Indian Relocation Act, a law intended to enable urbanization by coercing Native Americans to leave their traditional land. In addition to being responsible for government-tribal relations, the department manages endangered species, public lands, and natural resources. The contrast between the historical agenda of the department and Haaland’s values could hardly be more stark. Ms. Haaland was notorious for her protesting of the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, and it is all but certain that she will express the same views when addressing the inevitable consequences of drilling and natural resource extraction.
It is beyond refreshing to see the current administration’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. The new cabinet reflects America, which tends to pride itself on its racial and ethnic diversity, better than any in the nation’s history. President Biden and the senators who supported his nominees, have placed qualified women in high-ranking positions, chipping away at the gender barrier that is too deeply ingrained in our society. The widespread idea that “representation matters” — used often in the media to signify the need for equitable representation of gender, race, and other identifiers — is no longer just a millennial proclamation. America’s future leaders are poised to make history while representing the beauty of the nation’s diversity.
Graphic by Yujin Kim/The Choate News
