WASHINGTON, D.C. (Texas Insider Report) — Two anonymous sources close to Sen. Bernie Sanders have confirmed that the self-described Democrat-Socialist is trying to become Secretary of the Labor Department in Joe Biden’s potential administration – or if not that, he'd like to secure a similarly powerful position.
“I can confirm he’s trying to figure out how to land that role or something like it,” one of the sources has told Politico.“He, personally, does have an interest in it.”
Former Sanders Campaign manager Faiz Shakir said that while Sanders has not talked directly Biden or his campaign, he does plan to push Biden to “include progressive voices” in a potential new administration.
“We’ve had a good relationship with the Biden team, and I expect we’ll maintain that,” Shakir told Politico.
“It would be great to have a 'unity government' that takes into account that progressives are a pretty healthy portion of the electorate,” he said.
“It would be great to have a 'unity government' that takes into account that progressives are a pretty healthy portion of the electorate,” he said.
The two sources, including one former Sanders aide, said the senator has been pushing for the top job at the Labor Department by reaching out to people on the transition team.
Former Bill Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich said that Sanders would “be terrific” in the senior role in a Biden Administration.
At the last presidential debate, President Donald Trump pointed to Biden’s proposed policies and said his health care plan was the same “Medicare for All” program that Democrats like Sanders had pushed during the primary.
Biden tried to move away from that notion, saying, “I beat all those other people because I disagreed with them.”
However, Sanders and Biden did collaborate over the summer on six “Unity Task Forces” to merge their respective policy ideas and bring the Democrat Party together.The panels on climate change, education, health care, critical justice reform, the economy and immigration met prior to the Democrat National Convention to shape Biden’s official agenda.
“Heeding that would be good, but if Joe Biden wins, he rightly has a mandate to move in whatever direction he chooses,” said.
“Right now I am focused on seeing that Biden is elected president,” Shakir told Politico. “That’s what my main focus is.”
Sen. Sanders himself refused to confirm or deny the report, when asked.
