Massachusetts Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren pledged that at least half of her top executive branch positions would go to women or non-binary people if she wins the presidency.
Senator Warren continues in a recent push to convince voters that a woman can win the presidency. As the pivotal early primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire loom, this promise comes as Warren hopes to garner the female vote. Warren and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota are the two remaining women in the 2020 race after California Senator Kamala Harris and New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand suspended their campaigns last year. Senators Warren and Klobuchar also happen to be the two candidates endorsed by the New York Times editorial board yesterday.
She has also promised not to hire any working lobbyists, to implement a more severe ethics plan that the previous two administrations, and to impose hiring restrictions for former lobbyists. Additionally, Senator Warren’s plan includes a pledge to hire all key positions in the White House by Inauguration Day.
“Our government officials can best serve the American public when they reflect the diversity of the country itself,” Warren noted in a Medium post outlining her plan to revitalize the executive branch after the election. “The federal government does a dismal job on diversity and inclusion.”
Former President Barack Obama’s administration had only eight female cabinet members at the most, and Donald Trump appointed only 4 women out of 23 members. According to data compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the United States currently ranks 77th in the world for women’s representation in Congress. While the countries compared have differences in terms of their political and economic systems, the United States continues to underrepresent women in government, even after a historic year for women in the 2018 congressional elections.
Sources: HuffPost 1/21/20; New York Times 1/19/20; CNBC 3/5/19; Inter-Parliamentary Union Archive 2/1/19.
