President-elect Joe Biden announced Tuesday morning that he will nominate Dr. Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health. Currently Pennsylvania’s top health official, the announcement means that Levine could become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the United States Senate.
In a statement, Biden praised the former pediatrician’s work in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and noted that her appointment signals a more inclusive national approach to medicine. “Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic — no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond," reads a statement posted to Biden’s transition website. “She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts.”
The statement noted Dr. Levine's qualifications as a highly qualified physician and public health official, and that her career in government has been characterized by consistently bipartisan support. As a top health official in Pennsylvania, Dr. Levine was confirmed by the state’s right-leaning state Senate on three separate occasions, including in 2015, when she became Pennsylvania’s physician general following a unanimous confirmation vote.
Along with the usual hurdles of holding public office, Dr. Levine has had to endure hateful remarks and attacks on her gender identity and expression throughout her tenure. In July, following another rash of transphobia, Dr. Levine broke from her usual reticence on the subject to deliver an impassioned rebuke of such destructive commentary. “Frankly, I do not have time for intolerance,” she said while commencing one of her daily coronavirus briefings. “My heart is full with a burning desire to help people and my time is full with working toward protecting the public health of everyone in Pennsylvania. I will stay laser-focused on that goal.”
When confirmed, Levine will serve under former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the Biden administration’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, she will oversee health offices and programs across HHS, 10 regional health offices across the nation, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She will also become the nation’s highest ranking transgender official.
In a December interview with NPR, Dr. Levine discussed the significance of not treating the existence of COVID-19 vaccines as a “quick fix.” Breaking from the hands-off approach of the outgoing administration, Dr. Levine doubled-down on the importance of the federal government’s role in getting shots in Americans’ arms. “It will be essential for the federal government to provide more funding to the states, territories and cities that will be tasked with administering the vaccine," she said.
LGBTQ+ activists, public figures, and advocacy organizations welcomed the news, hailing Dr. Levine’s nomination as an important step in the ongoing fight to curb the COVID-19 pandemic and a reflection of the Biden team’s commitment to representing all Americans in their administration.
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“President-elect Biden said throughout his campaign that his administration would represent America. Today, he made clear that transgender people are an important part of our country,” said Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “President-elect Biden, like he has done throughout his time in public service, is helping to break down barriers.”
Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, pointed to how Dr. Levine’s appointment will bring change to a department that, for the last four years, has relentlessly attacked the LGBTQ+ community.
“Under Secretary Azar, HHS rolled back healthcare protections for transgender Americans and regularly engaged in policy attacks on other marginalized communities,” she wrote in a statement. “With Dr. Rachel Levine’s nomination, HHS is now set to be home to the first transgender Senate-confirmed federal official, a truly historic and deserved piece of visibility for transgender Americans.”
Dr. Levine joins the Biden administration’s Secretary of Transportation nominee, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, among the crop of potential incoming LGBTQ+ Cabinet members. If approved, Buttigieg would be the first openly gay Cabinet appointee to be confirmed by the Senate.
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