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Progressives press Biden on cabinet picks

10 December 2020
Dan Ackermann

Progressives like Bernie Sanders say they "have not" seen Joe Biden respect their election-winning power so far and deserve more Cabinet and top-level picks in his burgeoning administration.

Why it matters: Many from the Democratic left actively campaigned for — or bit their tongues — while Biden worked to finish off Donald Trump in the general election. Now, they expect their payoff but have been confused and disappointed so far.

"The progressive movement deserves a number of seats — important seats — in the Biden administration. Have I seen that at this point? I have not," Sanders told me.

  • "I've told the Biden people: The progressive movement is 35-40% of the Democratic coalition. Without a lot of other enormously hard work on the part of grassroots activists and progressives, Joe would not have won the election," Sanders added.

Driving the news: There’s a lot of surprise among outside groups, strategists, Hill members and staffers at Tom Vilsack's return as Agriculture secretary.

  • Biden vowed to make his Cabinet "look like America" but picked a white guy who's already held the job for eight years over two qualified women, including one who's Black, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio).
  • While Biden picked Fudge for HUD secretary, Rep. Barbara Lee told Axios she “absolutely” supported her for Agriculture.
  • “You’d have to ask the Biden folks their calculations and formula,” Lee (D-Calif.) told me.

The intrigue: Throughout the process, transition officials have allowed members of Congress to tag their people, policy and project requests as High, Medium, or Low priority.

  • A Democratic source familiar with the ongoing discussions said Congressional Black Caucus members were told, individually, their requests would be at least “Medium” priority.
  • That wasn't enough for Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and other CBC leaders pushing for Fudge to seal the deal.
  • "For every one of these Cabinet positions, he can pick 10 competent African Americans," Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said of Biden.

While a Black man, Lloyd Austin, was nominated to serve as secretary of Defense, it didn't satisfy progressives. They noted the recent Army retiree needs a waiver to head the Pentagon — and they're concerned it won't be approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

  • Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) tweeted partial praise but hinted at challenging him during his eventual hearing.
  • "I look forward to his testifying," Khanna wrote.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.