WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menéndez (D-N.J.), the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, a long-time champion for diversity and inclusion, today issued the following statement in response of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Appointment of Janis Bowdler as its first Counselor for Racial Equity.
“I’m glad to see the Biden-Harris Administration
taking a coordinated approach to correct longstanding racial inequalities that
permeate our banking system and financial industries, and to make the Treasury
Department itself more representative of the nation. By releasing a Coordinated
Strategy to Advance Racial Equity and appointing its first Counselor for Racial
Equity, Secretary Yellen is putting her commitments in action and moving the
Department into the right direction to advance racial equity and help address
the issues I have continually raised.
“As I have said before, a financial system and
a Treasury Department that is not diverse misses things that matter. Lack of
representation not only contributes to discrimination in financial services,
but contributes to broad discrimination that can cause systemic issues in our
financial system.
“I congratulate Ms. Bowdler, a successful
Latina with deep knowledge of wealth disparities, as she embarks on the
critical mission of dismantling structural and institutional racism and
improving representation.”
