The Congressional Hispanic Caucus sent a letter to President-elect Joe Biden asking that he select New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to be secretary of Health and Human Services.
Signed by 32 of its 38 members, the caucus’s letter commended Biden on his efforts to select a diverse Cabinet and made a case for tapping the first-term governor, highlighting her history as New Mexico’s secretary of health and her leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We wish to commend you on your efforts to ensure that your Cabinet reflects the diversity of our nation,” the caucus members wrote. “As you continue to finalize your nominees, we write to restate our strong support for the first Democratic Hispanic woman elected state governor in U.S. history, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.”
Here’s the letter > https://t.co/ECACNXpl2V pic.twitter.com/bjqte4NO5d
— Daniel Strauss (@DanielStrauss4) November 29, 2020
Lujan Grisham was elected the governor of New Mexico in 2018. Before that, she served three terms in the House of Representatives. She was New Mexico’s secretary of health from 2004 to 2007 and was also a member of the Bernalillo County Commission.
As governor, Grisham “enshrin[ed] the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protection measures in New Mexico state law” and worked to reduce prescription drug costs in the state, including capping insulin payments at $25. The Hispanic Caucus applauded Grisham for making New Mexico “one of the only states to make all COVID-19 testing free for all New Mexicans.”
Grisham issued a series of public health emergencies over the course of the pandemic and has ramped up restrictions in light of the recent surge that has gripped the nation, prohibiting all mass gatherings, mandating that all nonessential workplaces “must reduce the in-person workforce at each business or business location by 100%,” and limiting Thanksgiving gatherings to no more than five people.
Grisham took heat this week when one of her orders, which required businesses with four or more COVID-19 cases reported to halt operations for two weeks, temporarily closed a number of grocery stores across the state. Her office contended that “there is no community in the state of New Mexico where COVID-19 closures have closed off all food and water or medicine options for any community or group of people.”
“Governor Lujan Grisham is an extraordinary leader,” the caucus concluded. “She has the vision and drive to see through large projects and effectively lead large organizations; and brings the necessary skills to serve our country as Secretary of Health and Human Services.”
