BREAKING: Duckworth, Hirono Back Off Ultimatum to Biden White House on Appointing More Asian Americans

Reed RichardsonMar 23rd, 2021, 11:43 pm
 
Sen. Tammy Duckworth

Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images.

Just a few hours after she issued a very public demand to the Biden White House, threatening to grind to a halt many of the administration’s Senate-confirmed appointees, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) has backed off her ultimatum.

On Tuesday afternoon, Duckworth warned that she would vote against certain Biden cabinet and judicial nominees until the president committed to increasing Asian American – Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation in the senior levels of the administration. She was soon joined by fellow Democrat and Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono.

But in a statement to NBC News’ Sahil Kapur late on Tuesday night, Duckworth appeared to fully walk back her threat.

“Senator Duckworth appreciates the Biden Administration’s assurance that it will do much more to elevate AAPI voiced and perspectives at the highest level of government, including appointing an AAPI senior White House official to represent the community, secure the confirmation of AAPI appointments and advance policy proposals that are relevant to the community,” the statement said. “Accordingly, she will not stand in the way of President Biden’s qualified nominees — which will include more AAPI leaders.”

Duckworth’s walkback, notably, bore more than a passing resemblance to the response from Biden White House official Cedric Richmond, who ensured CNN’s Pamela Brown on Tuesday evening that the administration would continue to focus on AAPI diversity.

“We are appointing more Asian Americans to key positions,” Richmond told Brown. “So we’re very confident that we will continue to do that. Of course we respect Senator Duckworth and Senator Hirono very much, their feelings matter to us, their opinions matter to us and the fact that they are of the opinion they are not seeing enough, we will take that to heart and continue to do what we’re doing in terms of making sure our cabinet looks like the country.”

Sen. Hirono joined Duckworth in ratcheting down the confrontation in a series of Tweets she issued late Tuesday night.

Citing a “productive” and “private conversation,” the Hawaii Democrat indicated she was calling off her confirmation boycott, saying: ” I will continue voting to confirm the historic and highly qualified nominees President Biden has appointed to serve in his administration.”

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