AOC Introduces Legislation to Improve Transparency of Political Appointee Diversity

Late Monday, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) introduced the Political Appointments Inclusion and Diversity Act, which requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to coordinate with the White House Office of Presidential Personnel to make a summary of demographic information on political appointees publicly available.

“To meet the needs of the American people, our political appointees need to reflect America. The Political Appointments Inclusion and Diversity Act would shine a light on who is at the table in our government and who is not. By publicly reporting on the demographics of appointees we will see where efforts need to be improved to ensure that our policymakers are not only talented, but diverse and representative of everyone in our country,” said Rep. Ocasio-Cortez in a statement.

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez’ legislation earned the support of 30 organizations: Inclusive America, Project on Government Oversight, Senior Executives Association, PolicyLink, Modern Military Association of America, Emgage USA, Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security, Mi Familia Vota, MANA – A National Latina Organization, America Indivisible, United WE, AAPI Victory Fund & AAPI Victory Alliance, Diversity in National Security Network, 18by Vote, Foreign Policy for America, Welcoming America, RespectAbility, Next Generation Politics & YVote, Code for America, IGNITE, The Sadie Collective, New American Leaders, RepresentWomen, Revolving Door Project, Ready to Launch, Eye to Eye, Good Data Institute, Generation Citizen, Young Invincibles, and Day One Project.

In support of the bill, Inclusive America stated, “The Political Appointments Inclusion and Diversity Act and the Periodically Listing Updates to Management Act (PLUM Act) are an important step towards making our political appointments more transparent and inclusive. For too long the lack of transparency of who gets these powerful positions has benefited certain segments of our society.”

This bill is being considered as part of the Periodically Listing Updates to Management Act (PLUM Act) at the June 29, 2021 Business Meeting of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. Chairwoman Maloney, Rep. Connolly, and Rep. John Sarbanes introduced the PLUM Act on March 18, 2021. The bill would provide the public with visibility into who is serving in senior leadership positions in the Executive Branch. The bill would require OPM to establish and maintain a current, publicly available directory of senior government leaders online.