President-elect Joe Biden announced his nomination of Dr. Rachel Levine for U.S. assistant secretary of health Tuesday morning. Levin would be the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate — which has just begun confirmation hearings for Biden’s cabinet choices — according to the Biden-Harris transition team.
As assistant secretary of health for the Department of Health and Human Services, Levine’s office would oversee “key public health offices and programs, a number of Presidential and Secretarial advisory committees, 10 regional health offices across the nation, and the Office of the Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ website.
Levine, 63, is the current secretary of health for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is also a practicing pediatrician, professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine, and president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. President-elect Joe Biden wrote in his transition team’s official announcement that Levine is “a historic and deeply qualified choice” to lead the administration’s health plans during the pandemic and beyond.
President-elect Biden has nominated Dr. Levine to serve as Assistant HHS Secretary. A deeply experienced public servant and public health expert, she is poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.https://t.co/REmjFd98Hl
— Biden-Harris Presidential Transition (@Transition46) January 19, 2021
Levine was appointed as Pennsylvania’s physician general in 2015 and confirmed as acting secretary in 2018. Biden’s transition team noted that Levine — appointed by Democratic Governor Tom Wolf in 2017 — was confirmed three times by the Republican-controlled state Senate to serve as secretary of health and the state’s physician general. She’s been the public face of Pennsylvania’s response to COVID-19, garnering criticism from some for implementing stricter lockdown policies, as well as allegedly “mishandling” the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Levine’s critics, including certain fellow officials, have often resorted to baseless, transphobic attacks.
In a press release responding to the announcement, the National Center for Transgender Equality said the nomination was “groundbreaking.” If confirmed, Levine would be the highest-ranking transgender official in the country.
“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.
Other transgender advocacy groups took to Twitter to congratulate Levine’s nomination.
We are hopeful to know that Dr. Rachel Levine will be the first openly trans federal official as the assistant health secretary. After years of healthcare for trans people being deliberately undermined, our communities will continue demanding our dignity. https://t.co/T1M7QYDSeq
— TransgenderLawCenter (@TransLawCenter) January 19, 2021
In the midst of a public health crisis, Dr. Rachel Levine has led with compassion and a steady hand.
The ACLU does not endorse nominees to executive office. But we celebrate this historic first for the transgender community. Congratulations, Dr. Levine!https://t.co/hzhjEVXc1s
— ACLU of Pennsylvania (@aclupa) January 19, 2021
In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, prominent LGBTQ civil rights group Lambda Legal also praised the nomination, noting the significance of having a member of the LGBTQ community guiding the new administration’s health policy.
“Dr. Levine’s life experience also gives her a unique understanding of not only the needs of the LGBTQ community but also the importance of paying attention to those who have been historically excluded and marginalized by our medical system,” wrote Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings, “thus enabling her to play an especially important role in helping HHS fulfill its mission ‘to enhance the health and well-being’ of all Americans.”
Biden’s nomination for assistant secretary of health follows previous announcements that LGBTQ protections would be included in his first actions as president — a marked departure from the current administration’s previous policies.
President-elect Biden will be sworn into office Wednesday, Jan. 20.
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