White and male: broader bureaucracy mirrors Trump cabinet's profile
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When  Donald Trump  faced criticism from advocacy groups for not including more women and minorities in  his  cabinet last January  the incoming administration promised that the lower rungs of the bureaucracy would ultimately look more diverse.
Now  recently available government data on the ethnic and gender make-up of the broader  Trump  administration shows that with over 1 000 mid-level political jobs filled by mid-year the appointees look much like the top leadership: mostly white and male.
Out of the  Trump  administrationâs 24 top cabinet-level positions  17 are filled by white men.
Asked to comment on the mid-level personnel data  White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said  Trump  had a long history of promoting women and pointed to last weekâs nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
â He  will continue to elevate and empower women to top posts in  his  administration â Walters said. She declined to discuss  Trump âs views on the ethnicity of political appointees.
One day before  Trump  took office on Jan. 20  his then-spokesman Sean Spicer responded to criticism of the cabinetâs lineup by saying that members were picked on their merits and appointments across the broader federal bureaucracy would satisfy demands for more diversity.
âPeople (will) look at and respect the level of diversity throughout  his  entire administration â  he  told reporters.
 U.S. President Donald Trump  is surrounded by  his  cabinet  including Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (L-R)  Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson  Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin  Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin  Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Linda McMahon  Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke  U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley  Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Ben Carson  Vice President Mike Pence  Energy Secretary Rick Perry  Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao  Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross  Defense Secretary James Mattis  Attorney General Jeff Sessions  Attorney General Jeff Sessions  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tom Price  as he signs an executive order entitled "Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch" in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington  U.S. March 13  2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington  U.S.  July 31  2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When   [TGT] faced criticism from advocacy groups for not including more women and minorities in   [TGT]   cabinet last January  the incoming administration promised that the lower rungs of the bureaucracy would ultimately look more diverse.
Now  recently available government data on the ethnic and gender make-up of the broader   [TGT]   administration shows that with over 1 000 mid-level political jobs filled by mid-year the appointees look much like the top leadership: mostly white and male.
Out of the  Trump  administrationâs 24 top cabinet-level positions  17 are filled by white men.
Asked to comment on the mid-level personnel data  White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said   [TGT] had a long history of promoting women and pointed to last weekâs nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
â He  will continue to elevate and empower women to top posts in  his  administration â Walters said. She declined to discuss  Trump âs views on the ethnicity of political appointees.
One day before   [TGT]   took office on Jan. 20   [TGT]  then-spokesman Sean Spicer responded to criticism of the cabinetâs lineup by saying that members were picked on their merits and appointments across the broader federal bureaucracy would satisfy demands for more diversity.
âPeople (will) look at and respect the level of diversity throughout  his  entire administration â  he  told reporters.
  [TGT] is surrounded by   [TGT]   cabinet  including Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (L-R)  Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson  Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin  Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin  Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Linda McMahon  Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke  U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley  Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Ben Carson  Vice President Mike Pence  Energy Secretary Rick Perry  Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao  Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross  Defense Secretary James Mattis  Attorney General Jeff Sessions  Attorney General Jeff Sessions  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tom Price  as he signs an executive order entitled "Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch" in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington  U.S. March 13  2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington  U.S.  July 31  2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo