January 19, 2017 - NHLA Statement on President-Elect Trump's Failure to Nominate a Single Latino to His Cabinet

NHLA STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP'S FAILURE TO NOMINATE A SINGLE LATINO TO HIS CABINET
For the first time in almost 40 years, there will not be a Latino voice in the president's cabinet

WASHINGTON - Today, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate former Governor Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture, filling the last vacancy in his cabinet and meaning that for the first time since 1988, a presidential cabinet would be without a Latino representative. Hector Sanchez, Chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 40 of the nation’s preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, and Executive Director of the Labor Council For Latin American Advancement, issued the following statement:

"Throughout the presidential campaign, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) called out then-candidate Trump on his racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Latino rhetoric. That rhetoric had real-life consequences on everyday people, including children, who faced increased hostility and violence at school, in the workplace, and in public as they went about their daily lives.

"The president-elect campaigned on the most anti-immigrant platform of any successful presidential candidate in over five decades and, throughout his campaign, refused to engage in a dialogue with NHLA, the coalition of the nation’s 40 leading Latino advocacy organizations. This was in stark contrast with three other presidential candidates who did engage in dialogue with us during the primaries about the priorities of the Latino community, and the supporters and elected officials of both political parties that attended our briefings on NHLA's Hispanic Public Policy Agenda at the Republican and Democratic national conventions last summer. If Mr. Trump truly wants to represent all of America, he has a lot of ground to make up for in his outreach to Latinos.

"Former Governor Perdue's nomination as Secretary of Agriculture means that Mr. Trump's cabinet picks include no Latinos. This development is not a surprise and only further underscores the pattern we witnessed during his campaign.

"NHLA has long maintained that our democracy works best when we have a government that is representative of the diverse voices of every community. Mr. Trump's cabinet nominees lack such diversity. Regardless, NHLA will continue its advocacy for the inclusion of Latinos in government who are committed to advancing our community's shared Latino policy priorities.

"Regardless of the nominations that the president-elect has made, the Latino community will continue to grow, organize, start businesses, strive for success, and engage in every other facet of our society. NHLA remains committed to ensuring that every Latino in America can make the fullest contribution to our nation's political, economic, social and cultural life, without fear of discrimination, family separation, or exploitation. That's what we will continue to fight for in the next four years and beyond."

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.

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