Julian Castro, the rising star Democrat who launched into national prominence with a rousing keynote speech at his party’s national convention in 2012, is now ascending to the cabinet level.
President Obama on Friday nominated the San Antonio mayor to take over as the next secretary of Housing and Urban Development. If confirmed by the Senate, Castro will replace Shaun Donovan, who was chosen to head the White House Office of Management and Budget.
“They are proven leaders, they are proven managers, they are going to be effective, and most importantly, they’ve got huge heart,” Obama said of his two nominees from the White House Friday. “They’re involved in public service for the right reason.”
“I hope that the Senate confirms them both without games and without delay,” Obama added.
The official nominations Friday are just the latest in a recent reshuffle of Obama’s cabinet. Donovan is slated to take the place of Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who is currently being considered by the Senate to take over as secretary of health and human services.
Castro, 39, would become the highest-ranking Latino to serve under the president. “I stand on the shoulders of so many folks over the generations who have worked very hard and dreamt the American dream and have reached it,” he said Friday. “And I feel blessed to have reached it as well.” Donovan, who served in the position since January 2009, weathered through America’s foreclosure crisis as well as the federal government’s response to the destruction caused by hurricane Sandy. “He has come through helping the communities he knows so well not only rebuild, but rebuild smarter and better,” Obama said of Donovan.
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