Indian American VP is “very excited” about the work she and President Biden have accomplished
Amid reports of a rift in the West Wing, Vice President Kamala Harris has asserted that she is “very excited” about the work she and President Joe Biden have accomplished in their first ten months in office.
“This was a good week and this week I’ve traveled around the country as has the president,” the Indian American leader told ABC in an interview broadcast Thursday morning. “We have convened members of Congress, we have convened people around our nation asking, ‘What do you want?’”
“And this is a response to what they want and it’s actually going to hit the ground in a way that is going to have a direct impact on the American people. We’re getting things done and we’re doing it together.”
Read: In America, our diversity is our strength: Kamala Harris (September 13, 2021)
Asked about some of her allies venting frustration that she could be better positioned in the administration, Harris pointed to the White House’s recent victory in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which Biden signed into law on Monday.
Asked if she felt “misused” or “underused” in the administration, Harris replied, “No I don’t.”
“I am very, very excited about the work that we have accomplished but I am also absolutely, absolutely clear-eyed that there is a lot more to do and we are going to get it done,” she said.
Meanwhile, as part of a concerted effort to demonstrate that Harris is a valuable part of the Biden team, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told Politico Wednesday that Harris was receiving more criticism because she is the first woman and woman of color to hold the office.
“I think there’s no question that the type of attacks — the attacks on her that certainly, being the first she is many times over, is part of that,” Psaki said in an interview with Politico.
Read: Kamala Harris’ tryst with destiny! (January 20, 2021)
“What I would note, though, and one of the things I really admire about the vice president: She is the first African American woman, woman of color, Indian American woman to serve in this job. Woman. I mean, so many firsts, right? It’s a lot to have on your shoulders,” she said.
“She is somebody who, at a much higher level than the rest of us, but who wants to be seen as the talented, experienced, you know, expert, substantive policy person, partner to the president, that she is. But I do think there have been some attacks that are beyond because of her identity.”
Earlier, coming to the defense of Harris Monday, Psaki said, “The president relies on the vice president for her advice, for her counsel. She is somebody who is not only taking on issues that are challenging, she is not looking for a cushy role here. No vice president, no president is.”
Read: Harris says she’s not being ‘underused,’ insists ‘we’re getting things done’ (November 18, 2021)
“The president selected the vice president to serve as his running mate because he felt she was exactly the person he wanted to have by his side to govern the country,” Psaki added.
On Sunday too, Psaki posted on Twitter that Harris is a “vital partner” to Biden, who has taken on “important challenges facing the country,” from voting rights to the crisis at the border.