Recovery Community Celebrates Announcements of Marty Walsh and Rep. Deb Haaland as Nominees for Cabinet Level Positions in Biden-Harris Administration

January 8, 2021|In the News (old), National News, Press Releases

Members of the Recovery Community would like to congratulate both Mayor Marty Walsh and U.S. Representative Deb Haaland, announced by President-elect Biden to be nominated to cabinet level positions in the new Administration. Both Walsh and Haaland are public figures who are open about their long-term recovery from substance use disorders.

In December, President-elect Biden chose Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) to serve as the first Native American as Secretary of the Interior Department. During the #CongressGoesPurple observance of National Recovery Month, Congresswoman Haaland wrote on Twitter “As someone who is in recovery, I want to offer a message of hope to anyone struggling with addiction. You are strong and you have my support.”

On January 7^th, the Biden-Harris Administration announced plans to nominate Boston’s Mayor, Marty Walsh, for the next U.S. Secretary of Labor. In addition to his ample accomplishments in the labor sector and on behalf of working-class Americans nationwide, Mayor Walsh has paved pathways to progress and growth for those in recovery from addiction. As a person with more than 25 years in recovery, he has been a tireless advocate for the addiction recovery community. Mayor Walsh has spoken publicly about his own journey, invested in resources to support countless Bostonians, and even established The Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services.

We have no doubt that as Cabinet-level policymakers Haaland and Walsh will use every opportunity to highlight their own stories as shining examples of the power of recovery. Through providing platforms and opportunities for Americans in recovery, we are also creating hope for struggling individuals and families by reducing the stigma associated with substance use disorders.

As national recovery organizations representing hundreds of affiliates nationwide and millions of American in long-term recovery, we hope that these nominees will be among many people in recovery in the Biden-Harris Administration. We aim to serve as a resource to the Biden-Harris administration to ensure that the voices of recovery are included in policy discussions at every level of our government.