Washington, Apr 28: Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has endorsed Joe Biden’s 2020 White House bid, saying the former vice president is a deeply dedicated public servant with the ability to unite the American people.
Biden, 77, is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party.
Jayapal, the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives, has been a traditional supporter of senior party leader and Senator Bernie Sanders, who has now dropped out of the race in support of Biden.
“Today, I am announcing my endorsement of Vice President Joe Biden for President of the United States. Vice President Biden is a deeply dedicated public servant with the ability to unite the American people,” Jayapal said in a statement.
Jayapal, who is co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said that she believes wholeheartedly that government can and must be a force for good — expanding access to healthcare and education, fighting the climate crisis, passing humane immigration reform, and looking out for working people instead of corporate interests.
“I started this campaign as an ardent and vocal surrogate for Bernie Sanders, and while I have not always agreed with Vice President Biden on matters of policy, I am ready to work with him to craft and then implement the most progressive agenda of any candidate in history,” she said.
Jayapal was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 from 7th Congressional District of Washington State, which encompasses most of Seattle and surrounding areas. She served as National Health Policy Chair and Washington State Campaign Chair for Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.
She has been a strong critic of President Donald Trump.
“As President, Donald Trump has consistently sided with the wealthy and well-connected over working families and regular Americans, fostered racism and xenophobia and undermined democratic norms and the rule of law.
“He and his administration have demonstrated repeatedly — and most recently in their disastrous response to COVID-19 — an inability to govern, make tough decisions, speak the truth and unite the country in common purpose. Any progress toward a better future requires defeating him this November,” she said.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the US are more than 965,000 and 54,877 deaths have been reported so far.
“We are ready for a President who will encourage us to be as big as we can be, with compassion and bold leadership. That President must be Joe Biden, and I will do everything I can to help him win back the White House, take back the Senate, and preserve our House Majority. Together, I am confident we can build a more perfect union,” Jayapal said.
Congressman Dr Ami Bera was the first Indian-American lawmaker to endorse Biden for president during his primary elections. Indian origin Senator Kamala Harris has also endorsed Biden early this month. (PTI)
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