The Congressional Black Caucus is criticizing President Barack Obama for his failure so far to nominate an African American to serve in his second-term Cabinet.
According to Politico, Caucus Chairwoman Marcia L. Fudge sent a letter of complaint to the president after reports surfaced that he is considering nominating Thomas Perez for Labor secretary and Penny Pritzker to head the Commerce Department.
Obama has nominated nine new Cabinet and cabinet-level members, reports Politico, and while they include three women and one Latino, there have been no new African Americans.
“I am concerned that you have moved forward with new cabinet appointments and yet, to date, none of them have been African American,” wrote Fudge, an Ohio Democrat. “You have publicly expressed your commitment to retaining diversity within your cabinet. However, the people you have chosen to appoint in this new term have hardly been reflective of this country’s diversity.”
She said caucus members have gotten phone calls from constituents asking why “none of the new appointees will be able to speak to the unique needs of African Americans.
“Their ire is compounded by the overwhelming support you’ve received from the African-American community,” Fudge noted.
Obama’s Cabinet currently includes two African Americans: Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Attorney General Eric Holder, both of whom plan to stay on in the president’s second term.
Still, Fudge wrote that caucus members are “disappointed” that none of the African-American candidates they’ve recommended over the past four years “have received the consideration they deserve.”
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