Democrat senators refuse to vote on Biden cabinet picks until more Asian Americans nominated—White House concedes

Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) told CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju that she would vote against the appointment of Colin Kahl as the Pentagon's top policy chief because of his race.

Raju reported that Duckworth "found it 'insulting' that a senior [White House] aide pointed to [Vice President] Harris' South Asian roots when asked about AAPI picks."

For Duckworth, having a woman of South Asian descent in the second-highest executive office in the country isn't a good enough representation of Asian Americans in the administration.

Duckworth essentially said that she was promised that more nominees to key positions would be Asian American. For Duckworth, qualifications pale in comparison to the person's ethnic or racial make-up.

While Duckworth, Raju reported, "praised Biden's comments" on condemning anti-Asian violence, she was insulted that Harris was held up as someone who is of Asian descent in a prominent position of power. Duckworth simply demanded more Asians.

It was then, Raju reports, that Duckworth said she would hold her votes hostage until such time as more Asian American or Pacific Islander-identified nominees were put forth.

"Until then, I am a no vote on the floor on all non-diversity nominees," she said, nothing that she would only "support racial minorities and LGBTQ nominees." She told the White House. The White House said they would circle back.

Raju reported that Hirono jumped aboard the plan to hold votes on Biden nominees hostage until there were more Asian American and Pacific Islanders represented in his picks.

And the White House complied with their demands.

Duckworth and Hirono backed down once their demands were met. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the administration "will add a senior level Asian American Pacific Islander liaison," creating a new position to satisfy these two senators and secure their votes for his other picks.

Hirono tweeted out her satisfaction with the result, saying she welcomes "the appointment of a senior level White House liaison to the AAPI community to further strengthen our voice." She said she made clear to the White House her "perspective about the importance of diversity in the President's cabinet."

This promise from Psaki, she said, was enough to get her to give her votes to Biden's Cabinet nominees, even if they are white.

For his part, President Biden said "We have the most diverse Cabinet in history. We have a lot of Asian Americans who are in the Cabinet and sub-Cabinet level. Our Cabinet is formed," during a stop on Tuesday in Ohio.

The Biden administration has touted its commitment to using diverse identities as qualifiers for top administration posts.