By Farah Stockman
It’s significant that U.S. sanction policies were led by an individual who observed his parents transferring money through Western Union to relatives in Nigeria.
This individual, Wally Adeyemo, the deputy U.S. Treasury secretary, hails from the Nigerian city of Ibadan. He comprehended the devastating impact when a community is severed from its financial support system in the United States. He utilized that understanding when proposing measures aimed at alleviating the unintended repercussions of sanctions on innocent individuals abroad.
This is an important reflection as Americans say goodbye to the most diverse administration in U.S. history — while witnessing a new administration that vows to dismantle diversity initiatives take the reins.
Joe Biden assumed office with the promise of establishing an administration that mirrored America, and he fulfilled that promise. According to Inclusive America, a nonprofit that evaluates government diversity, half of his Cabinet appointments are people of color. His Cabinet featured the first Black defense secretary (Lloyd Austin), the first female Treasury secretary (Janet Yellen), the first Native American Cabinet member (Deb Haaland, interior secretary), and the first Senate-confirmed openly gay Cabinet member (Pete Buttigieg, transportation secretary).
Even more remarkable is the proportion of senior officials who are immigrants or the children of immigrants. The head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy? Arati Prabhakar, born in India. The acting labor secretary, Julie Su, is the daughter of a woman who arrived in the United States on a cargo ship from China because she couldn’t afford a passenger ticket. Amid escalating ethnonationalism globally, the Biden administration showcased the exact opposite.
Critics have too frequently dismissed this dedication to diversity as mere political correctness or a contributor to government excess. However, when diversity is approached correctly, it can serve as a vital strategy for strengthening American influence. The United States attracts top talent from across the globe because they can thrive here and ultimately help lead the nation. Newcomers to China, Russia, and Iran do not enjoy the same prospects. This grants diversity within the ranks of the federal government a significant comparative edge.
Donald Trump appears to grasp this. Despite his “America First” mantra, he has appointed numerous foreign-born associates to crucial roles, including South African-born Elon Musk, enlisted to suggest cuts to the federal budget, and Indian-born Sriram Krishnan, who will serve as an adviser on artificial intelligence. Both advocate for the expansion of the H-1B visa program, arguing it helps attract skilled individuals worldwide. Yet their opinions have ignited backlash from hard-liners who resist seeing underpaid newcomers encroaching on American jobs, let alone taking charge.
“Our country was established by white Europeans, not third-world intruders from India,” Laura Loomer, a supporter of Trump, declared in a series of social media posts that stirred a heated debate within Trumpland regarding whether the tech moguls Trump associates with are betraying his base.
Biden, who was elected following extensive racial justice demonstrations, made a substantial commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. From his very first day in office, he issued a series of executive orders that influenced how the federal government recruits employees, procures materials, and allocates grants. It was a large-scale initiative that directed federal entities to identify and address disparities. Nonetheless, progressives consistently expressed dissatisfaction. Even with a diverse Cabinet, they contended that Biden’s inner circle remained predominantly white.
Simultaneously, some Republicans vehemently opposed DEI initiatives. To them, nothing is worse than a bloated “woke” government. As a senator, JD Vance co-sponsored legislation aimed at halting federal funding to companies and universities endorsing DEI. Trump suggested that white individuals should be compensated for “discrimination” experienced under Biden. As allegations of reverse discrimination, questionable science, and opportunism mounted, Democrats grew silent. By 2024, neither Biden nor Kamala Harris campaigned on DEI issues. It was Trump who resurrected the topic — when he promised to abolish it.
However, before we discard the valuable aspects of this discussion, let’s revisit the importance of diversity in government.
There are numerous cases similar to Adeyemo, the Treasury official. Sameera Fazili, a former deputy director of the National Economic Council, had family in Indian-administered Kashmir. She recognized how reliant developing countries were on Ukrainian grain and how the United States would be blamed rather than Russia if they began to suffer from hunger. This awareness is why she volunteered to spearhead the administration’s global food security response in the early months of the conflict, she stated.
It’s no coincidence that, as interior secretary, Haaland sought to auction leases of public land for conservation and restoration, rather than solely for drilling. As a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe in New Mexico, she was raised in her grandfather’s cornfields and instilled with a profound respect for the land.
Furthermore, Biden’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young — the first Black woman in that position — is credited with preventing government shutdowns by leveraging relationships she established with Republicans on Capitol Hill. Her upbringing in rural Louisiana fostered her ability to connect with Southern conservatives.
The Biden administration’s choice to incorporate talent from diverse backgrounds, rather than relying solely on the well-connected elite, has proven beneficial for America.
The forthcoming Trump administration is assembling, featuring protagonists in the fierce battle against DEI — prioritizing individuals whose main qualifications for leading significant government agencies or representing America abroad appear to be their readiness to lie about an election, connections to the Trump family, and appealing television presence.
At least some immigrants, alongside Musk and Krishnan, will find their roles within the federal government under Trump. Even the individual appointed to oversee the civil rights division at the Justice Department, Harmeet Dhillon — anticipated to combat wokeness — is a Sikh who was born in India.
It seems that MAGA also requires immigrants.
