Watchdog Group Calls Out Concerning Trend of Senators Opposing Biden’s Nominees of Color

As Republican senators pick their battles on Biden’s nominees, the focus of their ire is disproportionately directed toward highly-qualified people of color

Accountable president Kyle Herrig: “It’s not shocking that senators feel threatened by nominees like Neera Tanden, Rep. Deb Haaland, and Xavier Becerra who will take on the special interests and corporate donors, but it’s appalling that they seem to feel especially threatened by and are lashing out at the historic diversity of President Biden’s strong nominees”

 Washington, D.C. – Today, the Accountable Senate War Room released the following statement on the concerning trend arising from senators who appear to be voicing the strongest opposition to President Biden’s nominees of color. While senators have allowed some of Biden’s nominees to be confirmed without much objection, the nominees that have drawn the most ire and opposition include Alejandro Mayorkas, Neera Tanden, Deb Haaland, Xavier Becerra, and Vanita Gupta — all highly-qualified nominees of color who would fight for working families in the administration.

“The sad reality is that some senators are focusing their attacks and opposition on the nominees from communities of color while easily confirming others — and that is flat-out wrong,” said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US. “It’s not shocking that senators feel threatened by nominees like Neera Tanden, Rep. Deb Haaland, and Xavier Becerra who will take on the special interests and corporate donors, but it’s appalling that they seem to feel especially threatened by and are lashing out at the historic diversity of President Biden’s strong nominees.”

Senate Republicans held up Biden’s DHS nominee Alejandro Mayorkas, leaving Biden without a Homeland Secretary secretary on day one, despite the continued threats of domestic terrorism after the violent insurrection just a few weeks prior. Many senators have criticized Neera Tanden, Biden’s pick for OMB director, for her tweets — even though the very same senators defended President Trump’s rhetoric and pretended not to see his tweets for four years. Senate Republicans are gearing up to try to sink Biden’s HHS pick, Xavier Becerra, by throwing flimsy excuses one after the other at the wall, hoping one might stick. Senator Cotton is even spending his own campaign funds to run ads against Becerra in other states, joining PhRMA-backed Heritage Foundation in an all-out campaign against Becerra.

Senators Daines and Barasso announced their opposition to Deb Haaland, President Biden’s historic pick for Interior before her confirmation hearing was even scheduled. Daines has called Haaland “radical,” an attack that falls flat given her bipartisan support in the House, but has drawn criticism from Tribes in Montana and was rightly described as a racist, sexist dog whistle by the Billings Gazette editorial board. Judicial Crisis Network, a dark money group, has started running ads against Vanita Gupta, Biden’s nominee for associate attorney general, choosing to focus on Gupta, a woman of color, rather than Merrick Garland, who would be the top lawyer at the Department of Justice.

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