National
3 gay nominees held up in Senate
Trio among 74 Obama appointees still awaiting a vote
Three openly gay nominees are among the 74 presidential appointees whose confirmations are being held up by the U.S. Senate, although observers don’t suspect anti-gay bias as a factor preventing a vote.
The lack of a Senate vote on these nominees is blocking them from assuming the jobs to which President Obama nominated them. The three nominees are:
• Michael Camunez, nominated to become assistant secretary of commerce for market access and compliance;
• Richard Sorian, nominated to become assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health & Human Services;
• and Beatrice Hanson, nominated to become director of the Justice Department’s Office of Victims of Crime.
The White House announced the nomination of Camunez in March. Obama announced the nominations of the other two nominees late last year.
Shin Inouye, a White House spokesperson, expressed disappointment that the Senate has been unable to confirm the nominees as well as the 71 other appointments that are pending.
“It’s unfortunate that at a time when our nation is facing enormous challenges, some senators have decided to delay critical nominations — often for political purposes,” he said. “With 74 nominees still pending before the Senate, the president hopes that the Senate will move forward and consider all of these well-qualified candidates.”
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund has pushed for the appointment of LGBT people through the federal government as the coalition leader in the Presidential Appointments Project.
Denis Dison, a Victory Fund spokesperson, said he had no knowledge of anti-gay bias holding up the confirmation process.
“My understanding is there are tons of nominees that are still being held,” Dison said. “I think that if the president is nominating a number of LGBT people, they’re just as likely to get caught up in the politics as straight nominees.”
Of the three pending LGBT nominees, the Senate has most recently taken steps to put Camunez on track to receive his appointment. The Senate Finance Committee last week favorably reported his nomination to the floor, just before lawmakers broke for the August recess.
Jim Manley, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said the full Senate had yet to schedule a confirmation vote for Camunez.
“Last Thursday is a millisecond in the Senate, so it’s not like he’s been hanging out there for six months,” Manley said. “We rarely, if ever, confirm anyone on the day they [are] reported out.”
On June 30, the Senate Finance Committee unanimously reported out the nomination of Sorian, but his nomination hasn’t yet come before the full Senate.
Manley cited general Republican opposition to presidential nominees as the reason why the Senate has not confirmed Sorian.
“I have no idea what the deal is, but I think if you Google up the words ‘Donald Berwick’ and ‘Republicans,’ you will find Republicans vowing jihad in the light of the recess appointment for Burwick, so that’s all I know about that,” Manley said.
Manley was referring to Obama’s recess appointment in July of Donald Berwick as head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which invoked the ire of Republicans ranging from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
The other appointee, Hanson, is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Erica Chabot, spokesperson for the Judiciary Committee, said consideration of the nomination of Elena Kagan to become associate justice for the U.S. Supreme Court prevented the panel from holding other confirmation hearings.
“That often times slows up the scheduling of the nominations hearings, when we have a Supreme Court nominee,” Chabot said.
Time for a hearing or committee vote of Hanson’s nomination has not been scheduled, Chabot said. She denied that Hanson’s sexual orientation played any role in what was preventing the Judiciary Committee from taking up her nomination.
“It’s certainly not from Sen. Leahy’s perspective,” Chabot said. “I don’t think that anybody has raised that — certainly not with me.”
Another nominee, Chai Feldblum, a lesbian with a long history of LGBT activism, never received Senate confirmation. Still, she was able to assume her position as a commissioner for the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission through a recess appointment March 27.
But because Feldblum never received confirmation from the Senate, her tenure is shorter than it would have been if she had received consent from the chamber. She will only retain her EEOC position until the end of this year, while if she had received confirmation she would have been able to stay on until 2013.
An unknown senator placed a secret hold on Feldblum’s appointment, as well as other EEOC nominations, preventing the Senate from taking action. It’s still possible for the Senate to vote on her nomination to enable her to take her position for full tenure.
Dison said the extent to which Feldblum’s sexual orientation played a role in the mystery senator’s hold is unknown, but he noted it would be “appalling” if any senator thought being a lesbian would disqualify them from any job.
“I know that she has been quite active in LGBT issues,” Dison said. “If that’s the problem for those who don’t want her confirmed, then it’s not far from saying that her sexual orientation is the issue. She fought for those issues on principle, but she also fought for them because she’s part of that community.”
Sean Theriault, a gay government professor at the University of Texas, Austin, said the hold up of the nominations reflects “how truly paralyzed the Senate is” as opposed to any anti-gay bias.
“The system of holds, filibusters, electioneering, legislative games, and party polarization has brought the Senate to a screeching halt,” he said. “Now, if these were the only four nominees who hadn’t yet been confirmed, I would speculate that the reason might be their orientations. But hundreds of nominees are stalled.”
Theriault said he doesn’t expect the Senate to take up the nominations until after the November elections.
“Then, quite frankly, who knows what will happen to them, especially if the Republicans take over,” Theriault said.
A Wider Bridge on Friday announced it will shut down at the end of the month.
The group that “mobilizes the LGBTQ community to fight antisemitism and support Israel and its LGBTQ community” in a letter to supporters said financial challenges prompted the decision.
“After 15 years of building bridges between LGBTQ communities in North America and Israel, A Wider Bridge has made the difficult decision to wind down operations as of Dec. 31, 2025,” it reads.
“This decision comes after challenging financial realities despite our best efforts to secure sustainable funding. We deeply appreciate our supporters and partners who made this work possible.”
Arthur Slepian founded A Wider Bridge in 2010.
The organization in 2016 organized a reception at the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change Conference in Chicago that was to have featured to Israeli activists. More than 200 people who protested against A Wider Bridge forced the event’s cancellation.
A Wider Bridge in 2024 urged the Capital Pride Alliance and other Pride organizers to ensure Jewish people can safely participate in their events in response to an increase in antisemitic attacks after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported authorities in Vermont late last year charged Ethan Felson, who was A Wider Bridge’s then-executive director, with lewd and lascivious conduct after alleged sexual misconduct against a museum employee. Rabbi Denise Eger succeeded Felson as A Wider Bridge’s interim executive director.
A Wider Bridge in June honored U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) at its Pride event that took place at the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. The event took place 15 days after a gunman killed two Israeli Embassy employees — Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim — as they were leaving an event at the museum.
“Though we are winding down, this is not a time to back down. We recognize the deep importance of our mission and work amid attacks on Jewish people and LGBTQ people – and LGBTQ Jews at the intersection,” said A Wider Bridge in its letter. “Our board members remain committed to showing up in their individual capacities to represent queer Jews across diverse spaces — and we know our partners and supporters will continue to do the same.”
Editor’s note: Washington Blade International News Editor Michael K. Lavers traveled to Israel and Palestine with A Wider Bridge in 2016.
The White House
‘Trump Rx’ plan includes sharp cuts to HIV drug prices
President made announcement on Friday
President Donald Trump met with leaders from some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies at the White House on Friday to announce his new “Trump Rx” plan and outline efforts to reduce medication costs for Americans.
During the roughly 47-minute meeting in the Roosevelt Room, Trump detailed his administration’s efforts to cut prescription drug prices and make medications more affordable for U.S. patients.
“Starting next year, American drug prices will come down fast, furious, and will soon be among the lowest in the developed world,” Trump said during the meeting. “For decades, Americans have been forced to pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs by far … We will get the lowest price of anyone in the world.”
Trump signed an executive order in May directing his administration “to do everything in its power to slash prescription drug prices for Americans while getting other countries to pay more.”
“This represents the greatest victory for patient affordability in the history of American health care, by far, and every single American will benefit,” he added.
Several pharmaceutical executives stood behind the president during the announcement, including Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson, Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan, Genentech CEO Ashley Magargee, Boehringer Ingelheim (USA) CEO Jean-Michel Boers, Gilead Sciences CEO Dan O’Day, Bristol Myers Squibb General Counsel Cari Gallman, GSK CEO Emma Walmsley, Merck CEO Robert Davis, and Amgen Executive Vice President Peter Griffith.
Also in attendance were Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary.
Under the Trump Rx plan, the administration outlined a series of proposed drug price changes across multiple companies and therapeutic areas. Among them were reductions for Amgen’s cholesterol-lowering drug repatha from $573 to $239; Bristol Myers Squibb’s HIV medication reyataz from $1,449 to $217; Boehringer Ingelheim’s type 2 diabetes medication jentadueto from $525 to $55; Genentech’s flu medication xofluza from $168 to $50; and Gilead Sciences’ hepatitis C medication epclusa from $24,920 to $2,425.
Additional reductions included several GSK inhalers — such as the asthma inhaler advair diskus 500/50, from $265 to $89 — Merck’s diabetes medication januvia from $330 to $100, Novartis’ multiple sclerosis medication mayzent from $9,987 to $1,137, and Sanofi’s blood thinner plavix from $756 to $16. Sanofi insulin products would also be capped at $35 per month’s supply.
These prices, however, would only be available to patients who purchase medications directly through TrumpRx. According to the program’s website, TrumpRx “connects patients directly with the best prices, increasing transparency, and cutting out costly third-party markups.”
Kennedy spoke after Trump, thanking the president for efforts to lower pharmaceutical costs in the U.S., where evidence has shown that drug prices — including both brand-name and generic medications — are nearly 2.78 times higher than prices in comparable countries. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, roughly half of every dollar spent on brand-name drugs goes to entities that play no role in their research, development, or manufacturing.
“This is affordability in action,” Kennedy said. “We are reversing that trend and making sure that Americans can afford to get the life-saving solutions.”
Gilead CEO Dan O’Day also spoke about how the restructuring of drug costs under TrumpRx, combined with emerging technologies, could help reduce HIV transmission — a virus that, if untreated, can progress to AIDS. The LGBTQ community remains disproportionately affected by HIV.
“Thank you, Mr. President — you and the administration,” O’Day said. “I think this objective of achieving the commitment to affordability and future innovation is extraordinary … We just recently launched a new medicine that’s only given twice a year to prevent HIV, and we’re working with Secretary Kennedy and his entire team, as well as the State Department, as a part of your strategy to support ending the epidemic during your term.
“I’ve never been more optimistic about the innovation that exists across these companies and the impact this could have on America’s health and economy,” he added.
Trump interjected, asking, “And that’s working well with HIV?”
“Yes,” O’Day replied.
“It’s a big event,” Trump said.
“It literally prevents HIV almost 100 percent given twice a year,” O’Day responded.
A similar anti-HIV medication is currently prescribed more than injectable form mentioned by O’Day. PrEP, is a medication regimen proven to significantly reduce HIV infection rates for people at high risk. Without insurance, brand-name Truvada can cost roughly $2,000 per month, while a generic version costs about $60 per month.
Even when medication prices are reduced, PrEP access carries additional costs, including clinic and laboratory fees, office visits, required HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, adherence services and counseling, and outreach to potentially eligible patients and providers.
According to a 2022 study, the annual total cost per person for PrEP — including medication and required clinical and laboratory monitoring — is approximately $12,000 to $13,000 per year.
The TrumpRx federal platform website is now live at TrumpRx.gov, but the program is not slated to begin offering reduced drug prices until January.
The White House
EXCLUSIVE: Democracy Forward files FOIA lawsuit after HHS deadnames Rachel Levine
Trans former assistant health secretary’s name changed on official portrait
Democracy Forward, a national legal organization that works to advance democracy and social progress through litigation, policy and public education, and regulatory engagement, filed a lawsuit Friday in federal court seeking to compel the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to release information related to the alteration of former Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Rachel Levine’s official portrait caption.
The lawsuit comes in response to the slow pace of HHS’s handling of multiple Freedom of Information Act requests — requests that federal law requires agencies to respond to within 20 working days. While responses can take longer due to backlogs, high request volumes, or the need for extensive searches or consultations, Democracy Forward says HHS has failed to provide any substantive response.
Democracy Forward’s four unanswered FOIA requests, and the subsequent lawsuit against HHS, come days after someone in the Trump-Vance administration changed Levine’s official portrait in the Hubert H. Humphrey Building to display her deadname — the name she used before transitioning and has not used since 2011.
According to Democracy Forward, HHS “refused to release any records related to its morally wrong and offensive effort to alter former Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine’s official portrait caption.” Levine was the highest-ranking openly transgender government official in U.S. history and served as assistant secretary for health and as an admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps from 2021 to 2025.
Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman spoke about the need to hold the Trump-Vance administration accountable for every official action, especially those that harm some of the most targeted Americans, including trans people.
“The question every American should be asking remains: what is the Trump-Vance administration hiding? For an administration that touts its anti-transgender animus and behavior so publicly, its stonewalling and silence when it comes to the people’s right to see public records about who was behind this decision is deafening,” Perryman said.
“The government’s obligation of transparency doesn’t disappear because the information sought relates to a trailblazing former federal official who is transgender. It’s not complicated — the public is entitled to know who is making decisions — especially decisions that seek to alter facts and reality, erase the identity of a person, and affect the nation’s commitment to civil rights and human dignity.”
“HHS’s refusal to respond to these lawful requests raises more serious concerns about transparency and accountability,” Perryman added. “The public has every right to demand answers — to know who is behind this hateful act — and we are going to court to get them.”
The lawsuit also raises questions about whether the alteration violated federal accuracy and privacy requirements governing Levine’s name, and whether the agency improperly classified the change as an “excepted activity” during a lapse in appropriations. By failing to make any determination or produce any records, Democracy Forward argues, HHS has violated its obligations under federal law.
The case, Democracy Forward Foundation v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The legal team includes Anisha Hindocha, Daniel McGrath, and Robin Thurston.
The Washington Blade reached out to HHS, but has not received any comment.
The lawsuit and four FOIA requests are below:
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