December 2, 2020 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. President-Elect of the United States Biden-Harris Transition Washington, DC 20500 Dear President-Elect Biden:

We write to restate our strong support for the nomination of either Attorney General Xavier Becerra or Secretary Tom Perez to serve as the next U.S. Attorney General. Each would serve your Administration with courage, integrity, and professionalism, as well as represent a historic appointment. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is in urgent need of rebuilding after the extraordinary challenges of the past few years. This will require an Attorney General with tremendous character and values, but also with experience of managing agencies of DOJ’s size and breadth. The son of immigrants from Mexico and the first in his family to attend college, California Attorney General Becerra served over two decades in the House of Representatives and now leads the largest justice department of any state. In that role, he has secured dozens of victories against the Trump Justice Department and helped stop the rollback of important healthcare, immigration, labor, environmental, consumer rights, and civil rights protections. During his two-decade long career of federal service, Secretary Perez has worked as a frontline prosecutor in high-profile domestic terrorism cases, led DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, and served as Secretary of Labor. He has been confirmed twice by the U.S. Senate, has earned the respect of professionals within the Justice Department, and would draw on his DOJ experience to restore the integrity, independence, and morale of the Department. Both Secretary Perez and Attorney General Becerra are experienced in the criminal and civil rights issues at the heart of the Justice Department’s work and have proven track records of using their powers of office to level the playing field for workers and middle-class families. We believe that Attorney General Becerra and Secretary Perez are immensely qualified to lead the Justice Department from day one. We are confident that either would lead the Department with distinction, champion equal protection under the law, and advance the cause of justice for all Americans.

Sincerely,

Catherine Cortez Masto U.S. Senator

Ben Ray Luján U.S. Senator-elect

Pete Aguilar Member of Congress

Nanette Diaz Barragán Member of Congress

Salud Carbajal Member of Congress

Tony Cárdenas Member of Congress

Joaquin Castro Member of Congress

Gil Cisneros Member of Congress

Lou Correa Member of Congress

Henry Cuellar Member of Congress

Veronica Escobar Member of Congress

Adriano Espaillat Member of Congress

Ruben Gallego Member of Congress

Jesus “Chuy” García Member of Congress

Sylvia R. García Member of Congress

Jimmy Gomez Member of Congress

Vicente Gonzalez Member of Congress

Raúl Grijalva Member of Congress

Mike Levin Member of Congress

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Member of Congress

Grace Napolitano Member of Congress

Lucille Roybal-Allard Member of Congress

Raúl Ruiz, M.D. Member of Congress

Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan Member of Congress

Micheal F.Q. San Nicolas Member of Congress

Linda Sánchez Member of Congress

José E. Serrano Member of Congress

Darren Soto Member of Congress

Norma Torres Member of Congress

Xochitl Torres Small Member of Congress

Juan Vargas Member of Congress

Filemon Vela Member of Congress