AOC launches bill to ensure the Biden administration is 'diverse' by making the ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation of every political appointee public
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a bill Tuesday that would require the feds to publish detailed breakdowns of political employees inside the government by race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
The New York 'squad' member from the left flank of the House Democratic Caucus touted the diversity legislation, which requires the government to provide the 'greatest level detail possible' on the information about the federal workforce.
She said the bill, which she named the Political Appointments Inclusion and Diversity Act, would 'shine a light on who is at the table in our government and who is not.'
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has introduced legislation requiring detailed government reporting on political appointees by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other factors
Under her legislation, the federal Office of Personnel Management would require reporting on the government's appointees which 'shall include self-identified data on race, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, gender, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, and whether the appointee is over the age of 40 with respect to each type of appointee.'
Ocasio-Cortez trumpeted the bill in a statement. 'To meet the needs of the American people, our political appointees need to reflect America. The Political Appointments Inclusion and Diversity Act would shine a light on who is at the table in our government and who is not,' she said.
'By publicly reporting on the demographics of appointees we will see where efforts need to be improved to ensure that our policymakers are not only talented, but diverse and representative of everyone in our country.'
Her bill to require reporting on diversity comes as the Biden administration has touted its own efforts to install diversity into the workforce through political appointments
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Ocasio-Cortez touted the bill on Twitter
The also pushed it on twitter, saying the data 'will help ensure that our policymakers are representative of our country. To meet the needs of the American people, our appointees need to reflect America,' she said.
The bill calls on the government to provide 'the greatest level detail possible without allowing the identification of individual appointees,' while also allowing individual employees with the option 'not to specify' with any categories they get asked about.
It extends to the Executive Office of the President as well as myriad agencies like the office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
The government would be required to provide the information in summary form – not ID any individuals by name who fit the categories.
It comes at a time when the Biden administration has regularly touted its own diversity efforts, including the first Senate confirmation of a transgender person to a top post.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, asked Wednesday about any potential retirement by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, mentioned that Biden had pledged to nominated a black woman to fill any Supreme Court vacancy – 'something that would be history-making,' she said.
'If there's an opportunity, he remains by that commitment,' she said.
Biden pledged to make his cabinet the most diverse in history, and according to a February analysis by NPR achieved the goal.
Last week, as Biden met with Senate Republicans and Democrats to hammer out an infrastructure deal, AOC blasted the group for sidelining minorities.
'The diversity of this “bipartisan coalition” pretty perfectly conveys which communities get centered and which get left behind when leaders prioritize bipartisan dealmaking over inclusive lawmaking (which prioritizes delivering the most impact possible for the most people),' she wrote, as Fox News reported.