John,

President-Elect Biden is beginning to pick personnel for his Administration.

One concerning sign is the rumors that Rham Emanuel is being considered for several possible cabinet positions. This despite the fact the former Chicago Mayor covered up the police murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, pushed austerity to the point of eliminating Chicago’s Department of Environment, closed 50 struggling majority-Black schools, and caused the first teacher's strike in 25 years.

That's why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said appointing Emanuel to anything would be a "divisive pick" and a "hostile approach to the grassroots and progressive wing of the party."

Let's get this straight, picking Rham Emanuel and people like him for cabinet positions would be a slap in the face to the base of the Democratic Party that propelled President-Elect Biden to victory. Call on President-Elect Biden to follow the will of the voters and appoint only cabinet members that will deliver on the promise of change, not double down on more of the same.

Now, while there are bad rumors that corporate Democrats will be included in Biden's administration, there are some good signs that the President-Elect Biden is listening to voters instead of the corporate entities trying to influence him.

The Washington Post recently reported that the Biden administration wants to "embed action on climate change across the breadth of the federal government, from the departments of Agriculture to Treasury to State — expanding it beyond environmental agencies.”

And in another good sign that President-Elect Biden is taking climate change seriously, The Hill reports Rep. Deb Haaland, a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, is being vetted by the transition team for Secretary of the Interior. If picked she would be the first-ever Native American Cabinet secretary and would be able to oversee implementation of key aspects of the Green New Deal.

Add your name to our petition calling for President-Elect Biden to follow the will of the voters by appointing a cabinet that will deliver on our promise change.

Republicans, and even some Democrats, are warning the President-Elect to only choose people Mitch McConnell approves of or Republicans in the Senate will block them. That's a false choice.

Joe Biden must build out an administration structured to meet the historic needs of this moment -- and to uphold the highest values of the Democratic Party and our country -- by operating in service of the well-being of the general public. If McConnell blocks him, the President-Elect must use the Vacancy Act and recess appointments to overcome any obstruction by Senate Republicans.

In particular, we urge Joe to elevate people who have proven track records of prioritizing the needs of working families, the poor and middle class, and those traditionally oppressed and marginalized, not nominate or hire corporate executives, lobbyists, and prominent corporate consultants who have a track record of putting corporate profits over the American people.

It's imperative that Joe be able to appoint leaders to his administration that are representative of the broad diversity of our country - but diversity alone is not enough: All personnel must have demonstrated that they prioritize the needs of under-served communities, especially communities of color, and have done it in service of the public interest.

Tell President-Elect Biden: Make Your Cabinet reflective of the base of the Democratic Party

Thank you for fighting for a Democratic party that delivers on the promise of change for the 77 million Americans who voted for it.

— Tre

Tre Graves, Campaign Organizer
Democracy for America