LULAC Condemns Lack of Latino Representation in the Trump Cabinet

January 19, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump picked Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia to lead the Department of Agriculture, filling the final position in his Cabinet. This will be the first time since the presidency of Ronald Reagan that a Latino will not serve in a presidential Cabinet.

"Latinos are the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States, yet remain one of the most underrepresented groups in the country,” said LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr. “President-elect Trump’s decision to shut out the Latino community from the top leadership positions in government is a failure to ensure that the government is truly representative of the people it serves.”

LULAC has consistently advocated for Latino appointments in the presidential Cabinet, and advocates for greater diversity and representation at all levels of government.

“LULAC is disappointed by the lack of engagement with the Latino community from the President-elect,” said LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. “Instead of assembling a talented and diverse cabinet that would help advance the interests of all Americans, Trump has broken with the bipartisan precedent of past presidential administrations and has missed a major opportunity to shed the racial and ethnic divisiveness that were hallmarks of his presidential campaign.”

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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.lulac.org.